California Excursion

California Excursions is built to give Units the chance to experience all that California has to offer and includes a visit to all three of our Council’s camps: Emerald Bay, Whitsett, and Josepho over two weeks.  Scouts will also have the chance to explore world famous Santa Monica, visit a theme park and generally explore the City of Angels.  Geared to youth aged 14 to 21.

The saying goes that California is the only place in the world where you can surf in the morning, skate to lunch, and ski in the afternoon. In Los Angeles especially, there is a concentration of ecosystems and natural resources that allow us to participate in almost every kind of outdoor activity that has yet been invented, which is probably why California remains a Mecca for adventure travel and outdoor sports.

The Western Los Angeles County Council offers the California Excursion Package, a two-week excursion that takes participants from the heights of the Sierra Nevada to the depths of the Pacific Ocean in a two week trip that takes advantage of the unique faucets of California that we enjoy at all three of our camps.

Starting at Camp Emerald Bay, campers explore the rustic backcountry of Catalina Island by canoe, mountain bike, and on foot. This week-long high adventure trek infuses adrenaline-pumping high adventure with leadership training—Scouts function as an independent crew, working together to create menus, navigate the island, and solve problems. Scouts will also get an introduction to the stunning underwater kelp forests that have made Catalina Island one of the most famous and sought-after diving locations in the world during a half-day introduction to SCUBA Diving.

After six days of adventure in the coastal chaparral of Catalina Island, Scouts take off for Camp Whitsett, in the Sequoia National Forest. There, they will spend four days rock-climbing, whitewater rafting, and walking among the “100 Giants” old-growth sequoias in the unique old-growth forests of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Camp Whitsett’s idyll location at the foot of Sentinel Peak beside Lake Ida makes it a perfect home base for mountain adventure, and though it is only three hours north of L.A., it inhabits a different world entirely.

Participants end their week back in L.A., where they explore the sights and sounds of Tinseltown from our home base in the Santa Monica Mountains just off Sunset Boulevard. Camp Josepho sits in a wooded arroyo in the Pacific Palisades just minutes from Hollywood and the beaches of Malibu. Participants will tour Hollywood Boulevard and Venice Beach, visit Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Griffith Observatory, the Peterson Automotive museum, and Universal Studios, capping off an all-inclusive California Whirlwind that hits all the bases.

Base Cost for 2-Week Excursion: $1500/participant

14 Day Excursion Includes:

  • All Boat and Van Travel once arrived in Los Angeles
  • Optional Pick-Up from the Airport
  • Accommodations and meals at all three camps
  • PADI Discover SCUBA Diving Course
  • Whitewater rafting on the Kern River
  • Project C.O.P.E.
  • Admission to the Peterson Automotive Museum
  • Tour of Hollywood
  • Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, Canoeing, and other activities at each facility
  • Upgrade opportunities for Sailing, Horseback riding, additional SCUBA Diving, Universal Studios, Disneyland or any other activities or sights that you want included in your customizable package

All Participants need to be registered with the Boy Scouts of America as either; a Scouts BSA Troop, a Venture Crew, or a Sea Scout Ship. This is a high adventure program scouts must be a minimum of 14 years old and able to participate in strenuous activities.

For questions or to register, please call the WLACC Camping Department at (818)933-0130 or email [email protected]. For more information to share with your unit, please follow this link.