The John S. Swift Explorer Base is a very unique camp which is run by the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. The Explorer base is one of only two Explorer Base Summer Camps in the Nation and the only one in the Region. Swift is located about 90 miles South of St. Louis near Farmington, Missouri on the property of the S-F (S - bar - F) Scout Ranch. The S-F Scout Ranch is a 5,200 acre property which is the home of 4 separate summer camps. There are three Boy Scout camps located on one side of a 270 acre man made lake. On the other side of the Nim's Lake is the John S. Swift Explorer Base.
The John S. Swift Explorer Base operates for about 7 weeks from June to August every summer. The camp has many activites for campers to enjoy when coming to camp. Some of the daytime activities include: Rock Climbing, Rappelling, High and Low Ropes Courses, Waterskiing, Sailing, Canoeing, Rowing, Swimming, and Horseback Riding. Day activities are not the only fun part about camp, evenings are fun too! Some of the activities that we have done in the past are to have dances in our lodge, beach parties on the beach, wacky olympics, western themed nights, and night hikes. These are only a small sampling that have been done in the past with new and exciting ideas coming for this summer!
Some of the people that make your week happen is the incredible staff. The camp is usually run by 12 to 13 energetic young men and women, who without them Swift would just be woods! These people do what ever it takes to make sure that your week is the best that it can be.
