George Washington
Scout Reservation

One of the many Appalachian Shelters available at "The Rock". Good sturdy, well build, I spent many overnights here. After the camp was closed, these were donated to another Scouting group.

I remember the George Washington Scout Reservation on Goat Hill Road, near Lambertville, NJ, active from September 29, 1964 to December 31, 1988. This was a lovely 219 acre wooded area high above the Delaware River. The camp was known as The Rock because of a huge rock that projected out of the hillside. You could stand on the rock and look up and down the river. Late at night, with a clear sky and bright stars, it was a beautiful sight to see the lights along the Delaware.

The Camp Ranger lived in an attractive house, high on a cliff, that looked out over the Delaware River. There was a wooden lodge building with meeting rooms and a lovely stone fireplace. There were several Appalachian Shelters and an above ground swimming pool.

The camp was a popular camping place for camporees, Cub Scout graduations, OA activities, and just hanging out with your unit. Each year, our Pack would hold the Spring family campout here. Around 10 PM in the evening, I would take the older Webelos, those who were graduating into the Scouts, for a night hike (no flashlights) out to the Rock. At first, most of the Scouts would be quite hesitant about this plan. Then, as they gained confidence, they would drive me crazy by running up and down the cliff side in the dark. This was always the highlight of the campout.

The camp was donated to Council by Colonel Kenneth McIntosh. The camp was sold in 1988 and part of the proceeds used to retire some outstanding debt (Ref. 1). The camp was purchased by a stone quarrying company that planned to excavate and sell the stone from the cliffs. However, for a variety of reasons, the local township did not approve this plan.