Scout Hollow Reopens This Spring to Allow Overnight Camping Within City Limits

On May 19, Scout Hollow in Rouge Park will host a Boy Scout troop, making them the campground's first visitors in nearly 20 years. Detroit Outdoors – a collaboration between the Detroit Parks & Recreation Department, Kresge Foundation, Sierra Club and YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit – is responsible for the reopening.

With the addition of a gear library, which will house enough outdoor gear for a group of up to 30 kids, and a leadership training program, the hope is that the grounds will invite more than just scouts.

"What we want to do is really have a space that's acceptable for a lot of other youth-serving organizations that might not have those sorts of built-in skills for camping," says Garrett Dempsey, Detroit Outdoors program manager. Whether a teacher, a youth pastor or other, if you're interested in leading a camping group, you can schedule a training session – and then, once schooled, start planning your excursion.

Assistant director of Detroit Parks & Rec Keith Flournoy says, "We're bringing that opportunity back for our kids to be able to experience what it's like to connect to nature without having to go 20 miles outside of their city."