Camping & Outdoor Program

We provide amazing opportunities for girls to develop and grow a love for the great outdoors. Our mission: Leave no girl inside! Camping is a vital part of the Girl Scout experience, often providing girls with their first opportunity to ride a horse, swim, or complete a challenge/ropes course.

Our Camp Properties

Girl Scouts Louisiana East owns and operates two camps. There is our 400-acre Camp Marydale located 45 miles north of Baton Rouge near the rolling hills of St. Francisville and Camp Covington, a 23-acre camp purchased in 1927. Each site is unique in its own way and offers unlimited program opportunities for outdoor activities.

Camp Marydale: Camp Marydale

Camp Marydale is a picturesque 400-acre campsite, located 45 miles north of Baton Rouge, near the rolling hills of St. Francisville, Louisiana. Amenities include horseback riding, a low ropes challenge course, hiking trails, archery, swimming pool, and canoeing. Campers sleep in cabins or dormitory style buildings. There is also a multi-purpose building/dining hall, a large activity center and craft hut, an infirmary, all located near a pristine lake.

Camp Marydale is home to a 25+ herd of horses that are housed in a large barn and enjoy open pastures, two riding arenas, and two riding trails that wind throughout the property. Girl Scouts are taught horsemanship skills by our Wranglers, who are older girls who volunteer at Marydale on the weekend. Six residential units provide hot and cold showers.

Camp Marydale is available for use by Girl Scout troops/groups from September – May each year. Resident camp sessions typically run during the months of June and July.

Request space for your troop at Camp Marydale. Space is not reserved until your Membership Executive has approved the form and reservation fee has been received.

Camp Marydale Facilities & Fees information
Activity Fees and Information for Camp Properties
Camp Covington: Camp Covington

Located along the Bogue Falaya River about seven miles northwest of Covington, Louisiana, Camp Covington is one of the oldest Girl Scout camps in the United States. This quaint 23-acre camp includes sunny open spaces for day use and shaded camping grounds for cabins and platform tents, making it ideal for the first-time camper. Each area, whether for day use or overnight camping, provides a fire circle and grill with a nearby latrine. Campers may also utilize the camp’s dining hall and kitchen, archery course, and hiking trail. Stairs provide easy access to the shallow river, where girls enjoy wading and exploring the riverbed.

Click here to request space for your troop at Camp Covington. Space is not reserved until the form has been approved by your Membership Executive and Service Unit Administrator and reservation fee has been received.

Camp Covington Facilities & Fees information
Activity Fees and Information for Camp Properties
McFadden Cabin: McFadden Cabin

McFadden Cabin is located in City Park (4 Henry Thomas Dr., New Orleans, Louisiana 70124) behind the New Orleans Museum of Art and has recently undergone a revitalization project. Girl Scouts worked alongside professional builders and area craftsmen from the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans (HBAGNO) and the Women in Building Council this past September, providing the girls the perfect opportunity to meet female builders and learn about their craft and careers.

McFadden Cabin was built in the 1920s by philanthropist William McFadden. who gifted the one-room building to the Girl Scouts on February 14, 1931 as a "Valentine gift." It has been closed to Girl Scout groups in recent years due to structural issues and an aging septic system. The cabin now has new plumbing fixtures, interior walls, front doors, and a new paint job!

Tucked under large live oak trees with hanging Spanish moss on the City Park lagoon, the girls are transported in time when the shutters and doors are pushed open. The Cabin includes tables, benches, toilet facilities, and a non-working fireplace. The council hopes to reopen it for use in spring 2019.

To earn the fun patches, download the McFadden Cabin and City Park Trail Patch Programs.

Being updated! McFadden Cabin Trail - This two mile trail guides girls through the surrounding area, noting the many beautiful and historic structures. The trail guide points out Enrique Alvarez sculptures, Storyland, bandstand, foot bridges, sundials, etc. A patch is available for purchase upon completion.

City Park Trail - This three mile trail expands on the sites of City Park. The guide is more historical in nature, adding such interests as the 1906 carousel, stadium with art deco sculptures, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mall, etc. A patch is available for purchase from the Council Service Center upon completion.

Troop & Community Overnight Camping

Planning a troop or service unit camping trip for one or more nights can be a wonderful experience for girls and trained leaders.

Council camps are available for troop or service unit camping during the week and on weekends, and reservations may be made at any time. Click here to request space for your troop or service unit.

Day Use

Reservation requests may also be made for picnics, hiking, outdoor skill building, boating, nature study, troop meetings, etc. Troops/groups wishing to use a council facility during the day for a Girl Scout program should follow camp reservation procedures and use the Camp Reservation Request form.

These sites provide great opportunities for outdoor programs after school, during vacations, and on weekends.

Council-sponsored Special Outdoor Events

Do you enjoy canoeing, archery, or horseback riding? The council sponsors several special outdoor programs throughout the year. We even offer special weekends geared just for families. Individual information is distributed through the Program Power, and other council publications annually.

Resident Camp

Summer resident camp at Camp Marydale provides adventure, self-esteem, leadership skills, friends, and fun for girls entering 1st through 12th grade. Campers participate in fun activities that vary based on session. Activities may include canoeing, kayaking, swimming, horseback riding, building a raft, building a fire, Geo-caching, cooking in a box, investigating a mystery, taking pictures or taking a moonlit scavenger hunt.

Day/Twilight Camps

Enjoy all the fun of summer camp without spending the night. Girls get a taste of camp, make new friends and learn new skills.

Camping on Non-Council Sites

Sites and facilities must meet all Safety Activity Checkpoints standards. Other Girl Scout camps, state and national parks are often a good camping alternative to a council facility. Troop/groups wanting to camp at any other camping venue other than another Girl Scout camp, state or national park or Jellystone Park, must receive prior approval directly from Jill Pollard, Chief Operating Officer at 504-733-8220 ext 2227, or by email jpollard@gsle.org

Camping & Outdoor Program

Camp Marydale

Camp Marydale

Camp Covington

Camp Covington

McFadden Cabin

McFadden Cabin