A Thirst for Adventure: Touring the Summit Bechtel Reserve
By Greg Johnson
“Would you like to tour the Summit Bechtel Reserve and write an article about it?”
When Josh Baldwin, the Greenbrier Valley Quarterly’s publisher, posed this question, I didn’t have to think long and hard about it. Like most West Virginians, I’d heard a lot about the sprawling Boy Scouts of America compound in Fayette and Raleigh Counties, but I’d never been there. I’d believed, falsely it turns out, that only Scouts and their families were welcome to visit the facility and sample its many activities.
Josh had an in. His “cousin” Rob Seiter, Summit Bechtel’s knowledgeable and energetic Facilities Manager, offered to give us a guided tour on what was apparently one of the few days there was relatively little going on. To say we came away impressed would be an understatement.
First, a little history. In 2007, the Boy Scouts received the news that Fort A. P. Hill (now renamed Fort Walker), the Army base in Virginia they had been using for their National Jamborees for three decades, would no longer be available after the 2010 Jamboree. As a result, BSA launched a nationwide search for a new permanent location for these nationwide gatherings of thousands of Scouts and their leaders. The ever-growing popularity of the BSA’s three Adventure Base facilities in New Mexico, Minnesota and the Florida Keys led the organization to decide that in addition to functioning as a home for the Jamboree, their new facility should ideally serve as a fourth Adventure Base.
Twenty-eight states proposed 80 locations. The sites were studied and winnowed down, and in 2009, after Governor Joe Manchin flew to BSA headquarters in Irving, Texas, and convinced them the Mountain State’s site could indeed be ready in time for the 2013 Jamboree, West Virginia won out. A major selling point was that the sprawling 14,000-acre property, previously devoted to surface mining and timber harvesting, already had large flat areas, tiers and roads in place, which would facilitate excavation and construction. Another advantage was its location bordering the 70,000-acre New River National Park & Preserve, which would create a potential 84,000-acre adventure wonderland for the Scouts.
The massive scope of the resulting construction project is apparent. Summit Bechtel Reserve boasts six Base Camps with space for 40,000 campers, an outdoor arena that can accommodate 80,000, four lakes, 100 miles of buried utilities, 35 miles of roads, 39 miles of biking trails, 60 miles of ATV trails, 32 miles of hiking trails, an eye-catching suspension bridge, attractive, high-tech buildings that serve a variety of purposes, a museum filled with artifacts that includes personal items of Boy Scouts’ founder Lord Baden-Powell, wedding and conference facilities, hotel rooms, and even a helipad and a Presidential Suite. Despite its complexity and the lay of the land, the property enjoys excellent cell service thanks to its expansive AT&T wi-fi network.
Scouts who like skateboarding have access to one of the largest, most elaborate skate parks in the nation, with skateboards and pads supplied. Quality equipment is on hand for mountain biking, ATV riding, archery, shooting, ziplining, rock climbing and rappelling, rope courses, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, scuba diving, fishing, orienteering, geocaching and robotics.
When you tour the complex, two things are immediately apparent. The first is that while all the winding, intertwining roads eventually lead somewhere, it would be easy to get hopelessly lost on the property. The second is that the Boy Scouts of America are talented fundraisers. Literally everything at Summit is first rate, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. The explanation, offered by our tour guide Rob and undoubtedly true, is that many successful people feel their Boy Scout experiences in formative years helped shape the people they have become, and the organization is partly responsible for their success. Life-size bronze statues of major sponsors by well-known Morgantown sculptor Jamie Lester dot the property. The 30+ statues include billionaire businessman Steven D. Bechtel, whose initial $50 million gift seeded the facility, Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, hotel magnate J. W. Marriott, beef jerky entrepreneur Jack Link, and Governor/Senator/former Scout Joe Manchin, who played a pivotal role in bringing the project to West Virginia. Other sculptures include a thousand-pound Flying Eagle, and a more recent one honoring Women of Character. Lester’s most whimsical and photographed bronze, however, has to be the 7-foot Sasquatch strolling beside Jack Link in front of the shooting facility.
Three of Summit Bechtel’s more eye-popping structures aren’t buildings. The impressive CONSOL Energy Footbridge spans a gorge and connects the east and west parts of the property. Hovering above the treetops, this minor 800-foot-long triumph of engineering affords pedestrians a bird’s eye view of mountain bikers zipping by on trails far below. Another impressive outdoor feature is The Rocks, a collection of climbing walls designed and constructed by Eldorado Climbing Walls and painted by a company that does similar work for Disney. The manmade structures blend seamlessly with pre-existing cliffs in the natural bowl behind them. It’s also hard to miss the Sustainability Treehouse, a 125-foot timber tower that demonstrates solar and wind energy and rainwater recovery, with its own photovoltaic panels, wind turbine and water filtration system. Practicing what it preaches, the Reserve recycles its own water in a multimillion-gallon treatment plant that would be the envy of most small towns.
Summit Bechtel hosted National Jamborees in 2013 and 2017. In 2019 the facility welcomed the 24th World Scout Jamboree, hosting over 40,000 Scouts and their leaders from 152 countries. Perhaps surprisingly, 51% of the attendees were girls. International Scouting has long been co-ed. In 2019 the Boy Scouts of America officially transitioned to Scouts BSA, welcoming girls between the ages of 11 to 17. Today boy, girl and co-ed troops visit Summit to hone their skills, earn merit badges and have adventures.
The facility also serves as a host site for West Virginia’s Science Adventure School, welcoming groups of 6th graders from around the state for a 4-day, 3-night experience that blends adventure sports with STEM and environmental education. Each week up to 260 students take part in activities like rock climbing, ziplining, cycling and archery, while studying the scientific principles behind the sports. Program costs are underwritten by generous sponsors and county school systems, and West Virginia public school students attend for free.
Summit Bechtel’s seemingly endless catalog of programs include the James C. Justice National Scout Camp, week-long camping sessions offering Scout troops merit badge-focused activities with some limited access to high adventure venues; New River rafting/camping experiences up to 50 miles in length; Polaris ATV treks through the New River Gorge; marksmanship training with bows, crossbows, shotguns, rifles and pistols; and the Summit Experience, which provides introductory sessions in each of the nine High Adventure venues.
The good news for non-Scouts is that you don’t have to actually be a Scout to have all this fun. The Family Adventure Camp is open to all families, with a choice of accommodations. You can rough it in your own tent, kick back in comfort in one of the facility’s posh glamping tents, or recover from your strenuous activities in the Great Indoors, in a bunkhouse or hotel room.
Thanks to Cousin Rob’s backstage familiarity with the property and programs, we managed to cover a lot of ground in our 3-hour tour, but Josh and I knew we’d only begun to grasp what this elaborate complex has to offer, the visionary thinking and intricate planning that went into creating it, and what it contributes to local communities, the state, and Scouting.
Before they leave, many campers sign a simple pledge:
I pledge to live my life with ...
A Thirst for Adventure
A Heart for Service
The Ethics of Sustainability
And the Responsibility of Leadership.
We left feeling awed and inspired. If they’d invited us to sign the pledge, we would have.
