The Mountain Bike Trailhead will be built in the old Red Barn area, on the south end of camp. The existing Little Red building will be repurposed as a headquarters for the Mountain Bike Program, offering water, bathrooms, and a sheltered instruction area. A bike storage shed will be build in the adjacent area. A grassy field near Little Red will also be used for instruction. The trail and skills course will be built south of Little Red, in a formerly unused section of camp with sprawling prairies and woods.
Camp Elk River's Whispering Prairie Equestrian Neighborhood
Capital improvements in 2017-2018 at Camp Elk River centered on Whispering Prairie, a new equestrian neighborhood that make every moment girls have with our horses a learning moment. Construction on the new program area and facilities at Camp Elk River completed in the fall of 2018 and saw its first summer program use in 2019.
Whispering Prairie includes cabins, a multipurpose program center, and a sheltered riding arena. Combined with other camp maintenance and improvement projects, Whispering Prairie provides girls with more ways to learn and lead than ever before.
Barn & Covered Riding Arena
A beautiful new equestrian barn with sheltered saddling, grooming, and riding areas allows Girl Scouts River Valleys to accommodate additional horses and more campers. In a region where unpredictable spring and fall weather can often interfere with outdoor riding, this sheltered space enables girls to learn and ride no matter the weather conditions.
Program Center
During the summer, our new program center will focus on horse camp programs, serving as classroom space for our equestrians to learn about barn safety, horse biology, tack, and equipment. During the rest of the year, the center houses other camp programs and events for girls and volunteers.
Cabins
Whispering Prairie features two new duplex cabins with charming porches and bunk beds. Each of the 4 units can house 10 girls and 4 adult chaperones, for a total of 40 girls and 16 adults. With 8 weeks of camp, that's 320 girls and 128 adults every summer.
Gray Koch Program Building
- New bathroom sink counters
- New toilet partitions
- Repaired floor and coffee station counter
- Updated office furniture
The Pines
- New bathroom sinks and counters
- New toilet partitions
- New furniture
Camp
- New signs
- New truck spreader
Waterfront
- Repaired road
In Progress & Future Work
- Mountain bike course & storage building
- Re-roof day camp shelters
- Replace carpet in The Pines building
