Camp Menzies
Overview of Facilities
Girl Scouts Heart of Central California owns a property called Camp Menzies. Camp Menzies is a beautiful wooded property located just down the road from Big Trees State Park in Calaveras County (5,500 foot elevation).
Property facilities include:
- Lake Nettie Hunter (canoe lake)
- Lake Stubby Mouse (swimming lake)
- An archery range
- A horse arena
- Arts and Crafts Activity Center
- Shasta Science and Nature Hut
- An open-air dining hall
- Six camper sleeping units
- Three with tent accommodations
- Three with rustic cabins
- A meadow – great for group games, overnight sleepouts, and stargazing
- A group campfire area with stage
- The Patch’n’Go, a healthcare facility
- Bathroom facilities with flush toilets and showers
- Commercial kitchen
- Trading Post souvenir shop
- Camp Office
- Hiking trails and more!
Note: This rustic property has some “personality” that makes for a truly outdoor experience. For instance, the camp runs on a generator, which means there is no electricity during sleeping hours.
Camp Menzies’ Key Philosophies
Challenge by choice: Girl Scouts are invited to participate voluntarily in each of the various activities and challenges at camp. A girl may choose to sit out of an activity or participate in an alternative way. This choice is respected by other campers and camp staff.
Girl-led: Girls are incorporated into decisions made about camp activities, such as all-camp events, meal planning, themes, etc. Girls are encouraged to share ideas and opinions. Staff support girls that want to take initiative in stepping into a leadership role.
Consent Culture: At camp, everyone respects others’ personal space, and girls are taught how to properly ask for consent when entering the personal space of another camper.
- Safety: Camp Menzies is accredited through the American Camp Association (ACA), which means that the camp meets all the national industry-accepted and government-recognized standards regarding health, safety, and risk management aspects of camp operations.
Opportunities to Camp at Camp Menzies
There are a few ways that Girl Scouts can experience camping at Camp Menzies:
Sleepaway Camp for Girl Scouts Only 
Girl Scout Family Camp
Girl Scout Troop Camp
