Chickagami Park

 park, camp, scouting

 Upload a photo

Previously Camp Chickagami, one of 3 camps of the Boy Scouts of America Greater Western Reserve Council. In 2009 the camp was reopened as Chickagami Park under the management of the Geauga District.



Chickagami Park is 139 acres located within the headwaters of the Grand River watershed. The parcel is primarily wooded and includes wetlands, streams and uplands.

Chickagami is a Native American word meaning “camp by the lake.” In 1941, the Western Reserve Council of the Boy Scouts of America dedicated Camp Chickagami as a year-round camping facility for the scouts. The property consisted of cabins and camp lean-tos along Lake Estabrook, which was created by damming the branch of the Grand River that ran through the property. Over the decades, additional lodges, a dining hall and restroom/shower facilities were added to accommodate the scout groups who came for week-long camping in the summer and weekend use in the winter.

In order to reduce operating costs in 2003, the Western Reserve Council (WRC) entered into a purchase agreement with Geauga Park District to take over the camp property. After dam inspection and evaluation of Lake Estabrook by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), it was recommended that the badly deteriorated dam that created Lake Estabrook be removed and the river corridor be returned to its original flow. The WRC agreed to remove the majority of the buildings and the dam as part of the purchase agreement.

Boy Scouts continue to have priority access to the property for camping. It is Geauga Park District's intent to protect this natural area in perpetuity.


www.geaugaparkdistrict.org/parks/chickagami.shtml