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Scouting opportunities at the ParkOn this page Patches/Projects | Touring | Accommodations and Transportation | Camping/Pavilion Rentals | Camping/Pavilion Reservations | Things To Know | Nearby camping/recreational facilities  Rich Buser The Delaware Canal State Park borders parts of the Park property.Patches/ProjectsScouts of all ages may book a standard guided tour as a great scout outing or as part of their Washington Crossing Historic Park patch. For more information on the historic trails patch, scouts should contact Barbara Lynch with the Cradle of Liberty Boy Scout Council at 215-348-7205. The patch includes an entire Park tour, the use of the Delaware Canal Park Towpath and Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve. Use of the Towpath and the Wildflower Preserve are not managed by the Park and therefore must be arranged separately. If hiking the trail, scouts should allow the entire day to tour/visit each location and allow time for the several mile hike. Patch tours should begin in the morning at the Visitor Center/Lower Park and end at Bowman's Hill Tower and the Wildflower Preserve in the late afternoon, with the Thompson Neely House and Gristmill and the hike filling the middle of the day. NOTE: Bowman's Hill Tower is only open seasonally. Tours must be booked in advance through the site educator at 215-493-4076 or e-mail Jennifer April at japril@state.pa.us. At this time, the Park does not have enough personnel to oversee Eagle Scout projects on state property. TouringScout troops of all ages are welcome to book a group tour at Washington Crossing Historic Park. Scouts can watch our award winning orientation video, (approx. 15 minutes in length) in our Visitor Center. Guided tours of the Lower Park include: a River-side talk where Washington crossed the Delaware on December 25, 1776; the Durham boat barn which houses replicas of the boats used that fateful night; and the McKonkey Ferry Inn, which was used by Washington prior to the Crossing and as a place for Hessian prisoners after the Battle of Trenton. Beyond the history of the Crossing, the Lower Park tour includes a visit to buildings associated with the historic Village of Taylorsville, which tells the story of the region and the prosperity it exemplified after the Revolutionary War. At the Upper Park, scouts can tour the Thompson Neely House, a miller's home used as a hospital for soldiers during the winter of 1776-77 encampment of the army. The Thompson-Neely gristmill can also be toured. (The mill is not operational at this time but still offers an informative and interesting touring experience.) Seasonally, scouts can visit Bowman's Hill Tower, allowing them a scenic view of the Bucks County area. A complete tour of the Lower Park, not including the Visitor Center, is approximately one hour. Additional time will be needed to tour the Thompson Neely House and Gristmill as well as to visit Bowman's Tower. A group can choose either one tour of the Lower Park, Thompson-Neely House or a Tower visit for their experience at the Park, or may choose to visit all three for the same cost and to complete their patch. Fees and Sizes for touring: Scouts ages 6-17 are $2.00 each. Adults are $5.00 each unless the group is larger than 15 people which qualify the adults for the group rate of $4.00 each. Children under the age of 6 are free. Special event day fees may vary. Pre-payment is preferable, but we can accept payment that day. Payment can be made by cash, check or money order. Checks and/or money orders should be made payable to "Washington Crossing Historic Park" and should be filled out for the exact amount/total payment as change for checks or money orders cannot be issued at the site. Most troop sizes can be accommodated, though a limited number of people can fit into some of the historic buildings at the same time. Large groups may need to be divided into smaller groups and tour different areas of the Park simultaneously in order to accommodate everyone on the same day. Accommodations and TransportationThere are plenty of spacious areas of land for scouts to run and play or picnic on the lawn. To rent one of the Park's picnic pavilions, a separate fee is charged. (See rental section of the website.) The Lower Park with the Visitor Center and the Upper Park with the Thompson Neely House and Bowman's Hill Tower are not within walking distance of each other, except by the Delaware Canal Park Towpath for several miles. Bowman's Hill Tower and the Thompson Neely House, both located in the Upper Park, are also not within walking distance of each other, except via trails through the Wildflower Preserve. Troops who are completing the patch but not camping on site often arrange within their group for transportation at the end of the hike to bring the troop back to the Visitor Center/ the starting point rather than reversing the hike and walking the Towpath twice. Camping/Pavilion RentalsScout troops are welcomed to book a camp site at the Park. The scout camping area is located in the Thompson's Mill Section of the Park, centered between the Delaware River and Delaware Canal Towpath. The area can hold approximately 100 people. Scouts have access to a tenting area, fire pits (no grill is available), portable restrooms, non-potable water supply, trash dumpster, and the Colonel Glover Picnic Pavilion. Only scout troops may rent the Glover Pavilion and the camping area. The camping area is available for rental Fridays through Sundays during camping season. The camping season begins around the third weekend in April and ends the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. Due to unforeseen acts of nature, such as flooding, the campground may be inaccessible. The site will try to alert you to this as soon as possible and reschedule your trip. The site cannot allow visitors into the campground area if any danger is detected. The rental fee for the Scout Camping Area is $75 per weekend for groups of 50 people or less. Groups over 50 people are charged $75 plus $1 for every camper after the count of 50. The rental fee is payable by check or money order. Reservations are confirmed upon receipt of payment. Payments will not be deposited until the month of the rental. After deposited, payment is non-refundable. Checks should be made to "Washington Crossing Historic Park." The site cannot accept credit cards at this time. Camping/Pavilion ReservationsTo reserve a pavilion or gazebo (See Park Map), use the form here, or call Meg Scott at 215-493-4076 or e-mail her. Reservations are taken on a first come, first served basis. Reservation Request Form
After tentatively booking a pavilion, the gazebo or the scout camping area, a confirmation letter will be sent with your rental details, payment information, and a Park map. Things To Know
Nearby camping/recreational facilitiesWashington Crossing State Park Camp Ockanickon Treasure Island Tinicum Park Tohickon Valley Park Tyler Park |
