Year Round Outdoor Programs

Types of Programming

Girl Scouts of Western New York offers a wide variety of outdoor experiences led by seasoned staff, committed volunteers, and outdoor professionals.

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These programs introduce girls to new outdoor skills and generally last a few hours. They often align directly with the National Outdoor Badges and are a great opportunity for less experienced girls. Some examples include snowshoeing in a park, outdoor-inspired art activities, hiking, and more.

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Throughout the pandemic, we were able to reach girls through virtual offerings. We found that the virtual format can be really effective for introducing specific skills and we will continue to offer these programs. Girls sign up for a specific skill and receive a package in the mail with the items needed for their virtual meet up (generally an hour-long). An example of a virtual program is knot tying: girls receive paracord, a fun patch, and a knot-tying booklet in the mail prior to their virtual meeting.

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Our council hosts a variety of themed overnight experiences. This is a great option for girls that are ready to take the next step in their own outdoor progression and spend the night away from home. This is also a great option for troops who aren’t quite ready to plan their own night away. An example of this program is Starry Night: girls learn about the night sky and participate in activities such as crafts, s’mores, and a guided night hike.

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We frequently partner with outdoor professionals to provide unique experiences. Our partners meet our National Safety Standard and local GSWNY requirements. Examples include climbing wall gyms, whitewater rafting, gear shop tutorials, and more.

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These programs build upon specific skills and offer the girls the opportunity to continuously advance those skills.

The below progressions are designed to help participants build skills in each area. The areas of hiking/backpacking, paddling, and camping are meant to be completed in order with each subsequent level building on the previous one.

The Outdoor Skills progression (below) is a fun, instructional progression that leads to the annual GSWNY Skills & Chills competition (typically offered at the end of September). There is no pre-requisite for any of the three levels in this progression other than age or Girl Scout Level.

For instance, Senior Girl Scouts (grades 9-10) interested in trying Skills & Chills for the first time are more than welcome to join in without having participated in either Tents Up or Ready, Set, Camp. For more detailed information about these programs, be sure to thoroughly read the program descriptions in gsEvents.

Area of Interest	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
Outdoor Skills	Tents Up	Ready, Set, Camp	Skills & Chills
Hiking/ Backpacking	Trail Adventurer I	Trail Adventurer II	Trail Adventurer III	Trail Adventurer IV
Paddling	Paddle Explorer I	Paddle Explorer II	Paddle Explorer III	Paddle Explorer IV
Camping	Conquer Camping I	Conquer II	Intermediate Winter Camping	Advanced Winter Camping

Troop and Family-Led Outdoor Programs toggle arrow

Another great way to get outdoors are through our programs for families and troops! These are on your schedule and help you design your outdoor experience.

Off-Site Camping

Looking to take your girls camping offsite (not on our four GSWNY camp properties)? No problem! Just be sure to plan ahead and complete the application.

Apply today here

7 Easy Steps to Troop Camping for Leaders toggle arrow

1. Visit the DoubleKnot reservation system and reserve your site, dates, etc. Full payment is due at the time of reservation in Doubleknot, so have your troop debit card handy!

2. Complete the Travel Roster for your troop (Excel file – click to download).

3. Confirm your group meets safety ratio and First Aid/CPR requirements.

After completing your roster, confirm that your group has the proper girl-to-adult ratio based on Volunteer Essentials and the Safety Activity Checkpoints. Additionally, troops are required to provide at least one First Aid/CPR certified adult when camping on a troop camping trip.

4. Confirm with council that all adults have completed background checks and are an approved volunteer.

Any adult who is fulfilling the girl-adult ratio and will be working directly with the girls must fulfill the requirements to be an approved adult which includes a background check and Girl Scout membership.

5. To enhance your troop's camping experience, consider attending in-person adult training session. See below.

6. Confirm specially trained staff for optional activities, if necessary.

Some activities at camp (swimming, archery, boating, ropes course, etc.) require specially trained facilitators in order for troops to participate. Troops/Service Units provide their own certified lifeguards, archery, and boating instructors -GSWNY must receive a copy of that individual's current certification.
Reconfirm that you are adhering to the Safety Activity Checkpoints (see Step 5) for your chosen optional activities. Reach out to council if you need additional assistance or information about optional activities.

7. Work with your girls to plan your adventure.

Find out what your girls want to do when they're camping: hiking, nature observation, outdoor challenges? Use their ideas to drive programming.
Check out the Outdoor badges and Journeys for your level in the VTK/your MyGS Girl Scout account.

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Please note that there is no required outdoor training to take your girls outdoors and/or to visit our properties, however, we have additional resources should you need them.

VIDEOS:Our website features tutorial videos on a variety of subjects including developing outdoors skills, taking the Girl Scout Journeys outside, planning your first campout, campsite set-up, cooking outdoors, Leave No Trace principles, outdoor songs and games, and fire-building. Check them out on the bottom of this page!
IN-PERSON ADULT TRAININGS: Throughout the year, we offer adult training opportunities such as archery certification, small watercraft certification, and much more. These opportunities can be found on gsEvents as they are available.

Service Unit Camp Out (SUCOs) toggle arrow

Leaders can reserve a camp to arrange their own volunteer-run, mini day camp program for their service unit for up to four days. This is a great way to provide exciting and engaging day camp activities for Service Units who want to experience day camp with friends and others they know. Availability of SUCO Day Camps are as follows:

July-August: Camp Windy Meadows and/or Camp Seven Hills – Lakeside
Year Round: Off-council camp sites can be used with council approval
Sept-Oct & May-June: Any camp property

Annual Events

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Skills and Chills, our yearly competition that gives Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scouts the opportunity to test their outdoor abilities and earn awards, is held over the last weekend in September. Girls face off in events such as one girl saw, jack knife safety, orienteering, archery, kayaking, fire building, tent pitching and more!

2026 Skills and Chills Judges Rubric

2026 Skills and Chills Packet

Girl Scouts Love State Parks toggle arrow

Every year, Girl Scouts explore the natural wonders found across our country during the Girl Scouts Love State Parks weekend. Over a weekend in September, Girl Scouts nationwide, along with their troops, friends, and family, will celebrate our shared love of the outdoors.

Celebrate our State Parks with your Girl Scout troop or family! Participate and you can purchase a patch at the GSUSA online store.

Girl Scouts Love the Outdoors toggle arrow

Summer = summertime fun! ☀ Every year, we celebrate our love of the outdoors with our Girl Scouts Love the Outdoors Challenge. Be it from a window, a campsite, the sidewalk, a laptop, or the wide-open trail, there are ways for you to earn a limited edition patch!

Click here to learn more