DDR12
6 years ago
Thames Centre, Ontario
Adelaide-Metcalfe, Ontario
Thames Centre, Ontario
London, Ontario
London, Ontario
The Old London Boy Scouts Camp closed a long time ago but apparently had a ton of activities to do back in the day. I went for a nature walk down the Kilally trails to the west & just continued walking until the trail ended in a drop off. After making my way down the ledge & back up the other side I made my way east through the forest seeing some of the old trails the scouts used back then. I spotted a few structures but nothing really of note.
After coming to the field I made my way south down the hill after spotting the first cement pad that I assume was a building at one point. The trails down the hill are still somewhat usable but expect the occasional bit of bushwacking. There are quite a few widowmakers to watch for as well.
Upon a crosstrail, I made my way down to the Thames River only to discover that the front cab of an old truck had been caught by a tree after it must have been washed down the river when it was much higher. The clearing in that spot would work quite well for camping provided you go when the water is low & not expected to go up while you're there.
After enjoying some time relaxing by the water, I made my way back up the trail I followed to get to the water. There is a second stair set that, though more functional than the one I saw earlier down the other trail, is only half there. climbing the hill was not difficult though.
The grounds themself have obviously seen much better days. Many of the photos I've seen in the past of the campgrounds are barely even accurate anymore. The only remnants of buildings are old foundations or cement slabs. The pool still looks incredible & I could only imagine how awesome it must have been back in the day. The firepit was clearly recently used so if you're concerned about running into people there's the possibility it will happen. To my knowledge, there aren't any "no trespassing" signs, but if there is, I didn't see any from the direction I came from.
I did run into a couple older folks that were kind & told me of stories from their childhood when they used to come to the campgrounds so that was neat.
Overall, it was a fun hike, the forest is nice to relax in but the actual grounds aren't in the best condition & there isn't much to see. Definitely wear good footwear as well as there's tons of broken glass, nails, sharp metal, & debris everywhere.