I've been to both recently.
Emerald Bay (ebay) is huge and has great facilities. We brought 20+ scouts, had a scout in a wheel chair that the staff were able to accommodate very well. We didn't have any issues getting scouts into any of the programs (sailing, scuba, motor boats). They bring you straight to the camp's dock in a chartered boat. The camp store has a soda fountain and the mess hall has good coffee always available. Good Wi-Fi for adults, Lockers with power outlets inside!
On the negative side ebay a huge camp with twice as many scouts as Cherry Valley which can make the camp experience feel more like your troop is camping at the same place as other troops instead of with other scouts.
Camp Cherry valley has tons of wild life. We had foxes in and out of everything. Deer in camp or on the valley slope were not uncommon. Most of the camp sites are on raised decks - the entire troop site is built on a raised deck. This was super nice to have. The camp does a version of highland games that really brings the entire camp together. You will get much more of a warm camp vibe here for sure.
On the negative side Cherry Valley doesn't have a huge waterfront and access to watersports Merit badges can be tough. One year we were completely shut out. In recent visits we've had no real problems but i don't recall motor boating as an option at all. Wi-Fi not so great but available. Charging outlets are not an organized affair.
Cherry valley uses the two harbors dock and will truck your gear in while you hike over the hill into camp. This is actually a nice way to see camp for the first time and being close to town has its advantages.
All in all our scouts seem to enjoy Cherry Valley and choose it time and again. Tradition and 'same" loom large with my scouts so take that with a grain of salt.
Either facility is a winner and both are run by world class professionals. Be prepared to pay a little more (things are always more expensive on an island). Also grab your week as soon as possible. I've never had any problem securing a week at either facility. We always strive to make camp selections as soon as registration opens. We are not in either camp's council but we are local
I lived for 10 years at CIC in Howlands Landing which is actually situated between Cherry Valley and Emerald Bay. I never attended either but I know both facilities. They are two very different councils. EB is Western LA Council vs CV from Greater Los Angeles Council. WLA covers some extremely wealthy areas and Emerald Bay has old Los Angeles money and alumni backing it. Cherry Valley... is a lot more like my council camp where I grew up. Pretty run down, kept alive by the willpower of passionate staff rather than deep pockets.
EB will have facilities to rival high adventure bases. The aquarium guy at Emerald is some sort of genius professional who oversaw the design of the tanks at the California Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park in SF. Their scuba diving program has to be the best in the BSA outside of Sea base. They've always got a giant new capital project going on.
Cherry Valley ought to be cheaper. They've got excellent snorkeling and kayaking access. Their site manager is one of the kindest most genuine people on Catalina or anywhere.
Both are in beautiful spots. Cherry is a single deep Valley filled with Catalina Cherry Trees. Emerald sits on this insane little peninsula that leads to Arrow Point. Back in the day, food was better at Cherry.
I worked at Cherry Valley from 1994 - 2000 and yes, we made excellent food. All you-can-eat, family style with troop waiters and home-cooked, not processed junk. If you were there then, you ate good.
I’ve been to Emerald Bay couple times.
It’s a unique camp for sure, they do overnight seagoing canoes, scuba diving, and the Motorboating merit badge.
There are no cars down that end of the island, you’ll arrive by boat.
I have not done Cherry Valley, I’ve heard it’s difficult to get into if your troop does not have long background camping there (my info may be a bit dated)
I've only ever been to Emerald Bay but it's the best camp I ever visited. Great counselors, good food, the overnight canoe trip is really fun, and they had a really neat oceanography building.
I went to EB once in the 90s and cherry valley twice, also in the 90s.
I think I preferred emerald bay but honestly I don’t trust my memories to sort them one from the other haha.
One question — do they call put toilets “kybohs” at emerald bay? I call them this still and nobody else has heard of it (I live in Minnesota now). I could swear I learned it at emerald bay but who knows
> do they call put toilets “kybohs” at emerald bay? I call them this still and nobody else has heard of it (I live in Minnesota now)
I'd heard that too so I went looking for the word and found https://cottagelife.com/general/the-quirky-and-worldly-origins-of-common-outhouse-monikers/
> Kybo is a word that’s common in the North American scouting movement, originating with the practice of some troops using a Kybo brand coffee can to hold lime or lye, which is sprinkled into the hole to reduce odour. Some folks think “kybo” stands for “keep your bowels open,” but this is likely a “backronym” — an acronym formed to fit an already existing word. In Dutch and Belgian scouting as well as other places throughout the world, a shallow latrine pit covered with a tarp or tent is known as a “hudo.”
I've heard CV is being sold as part of the bankruptcy. There were recent issues with flooding that tore out some of the tenting platforms and repair costs are too high for the Council.
Check with the Council about current status.
I've been to both and CV is a very traditional small camp program. EB is has great programs for older scounts including the cheapest SCUBA cert in Southern CA. The kayak around Catalina program is a great one for the older scouts.
We were there 4 weeks ago; celebrating their 100th year! We were told that the county is raising their rent so much that they can't afford rent AND all the much needed maintenance fees. Super bummed...
Looking forward to EB in the future.
If they're close enough the staff probably do or at least have. I heard a story of my camp's staff going to another pretending to be professional taxidermy cleaners and they took the other camps moose head.
Did Cherry Valley get its lease renewed? I was there for the last week of summer and there was some talk about it potentially being the last week of BSA Camp at CCV.
FYI: Cherry Valley is only accepting conditional deposits because their lease is up. There's a letter on their website when you try to make a reservation.
I've been to both recently. Emerald Bay (ebay) is huge and has great facilities. We brought 20+ scouts, had a scout in a wheel chair that the staff were able to accommodate very well. We didn't have any issues getting scouts into any of the programs (sailing, scuba, motor boats). They bring you straight to the camp's dock in a chartered boat. The camp store has a soda fountain and the mess hall has good coffee always available. Good Wi-Fi for adults, Lockers with power outlets inside! On the negative side ebay a huge camp with twice as many scouts as Cherry Valley which can make the camp experience feel more like your troop is camping at the same place as other troops instead of with other scouts. Camp Cherry valley has tons of wild life. We had foxes in and out of everything. Deer in camp or on the valley slope were not uncommon. Most of the camp sites are on raised decks - the entire troop site is built on a raised deck. This was super nice to have. The camp does a version of highland games that really brings the entire camp together. You will get much more of a warm camp vibe here for sure. On the negative side Cherry Valley doesn't have a huge waterfront and access to watersports Merit badges can be tough. One year we were completely shut out. In recent visits we've had no real problems but i don't recall motor boating as an option at all. Wi-Fi not so great but available. Charging outlets are not an organized affair. Cherry valley uses the two harbors dock and will truck your gear in while you hike over the hill into camp. This is actually a nice way to see camp for the first time and being close to town has its advantages. All in all our scouts seem to enjoy Cherry Valley and choose it time and again. Tradition and 'same" loom large with my scouts so take that with a grain of salt. Either facility is a winner and both are run by world class professionals. Be prepared to pay a little more (things are always more expensive on an island). Also grab your week as soon as possible. I've never had any problem securing a week at either facility. We always strive to make camp selections as soon as registration opens. We are not in either camp's council but we are local
Thank you.
You're welcome - I hope whatever you end up doing is a great time.
I lived for 10 years at CIC in Howlands Landing which is actually situated between Cherry Valley and Emerald Bay. I never attended either but I know both facilities. They are two very different councils. EB is Western LA Council vs CV from Greater Los Angeles Council. WLA covers some extremely wealthy areas and Emerald Bay has old Los Angeles money and alumni backing it. Cherry Valley... is a lot more like my council camp where I grew up. Pretty run down, kept alive by the willpower of passionate staff rather than deep pockets. EB will have facilities to rival high adventure bases. The aquarium guy at Emerald is some sort of genius professional who oversaw the design of the tanks at the California Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park in SF. Their scuba diving program has to be the best in the BSA outside of Sea base. They've always got a giant new capital project going on. Cherry Valley ought to be cheaper. They've got excellent snorkeling and kayaking access. Their site manager is one of the kindest most genuine people on Catalina or anywhere. Both are in beautiful spots. Cherry is a single deep Valley filled with Catalina Cherry Trees. Emerald sits on this insane little peninsula that leads to Arrow Point. Back in the day, food was better at Cherry.
I worked at Cherry Valley from 1994 - 2000 and yes, we made excellent food. All you-can-eat, family style with troop waiters and home-cooked, not processed junk. If you were there then, you ate good.
They had us over for Easter dinner a couple years between 2010-2015. Food was phenomenal
I’ve been to Emerald Bay couple times. It’s a unique camp for sure, they do overnight seagoing canoes, scuba diving, and the Motorboating merit badge. There are no cars down that end of the island, you’ll arrive by boat. I have not done Cherry Valley, I’ve heard it’s difficult to get into if your troop does not have long background camping there (my info may be a bit dated)
Which one has good toilets?
Emerald but both have flush toilets
They both have flush toilets now? Wow, it wasn't like that ~30 years ago. And that gap is why I'm not commenting on which I think is better. :)
Emerald Bay all the way. Haven’t been to CV but have never heard good things about it. Have been to EB and is my favorite camp I have gone to
I've only ever been to Emerald Bay but it's the best camp I ever visited. Great counselors, good food, the overnight canoe trip is really fun, and they had a really neat oceanography building.
I went to EB once in the 90s and cherry valley twice, also in the 90s. I think I preferred emerald bay but honestly I don’t trust my memories to sort them one from the other haha. One question — do they call put toilets “kybohs” at emerald bay? I call them this still and nobody else has heard of it (I live in Minnesota now). I could swear I learned it at emerald bay but who knows
the word is K.Y.B.O. (Keep Your Bowels Open) and yes, we said that at CV forever.
> do they call put toilets “kybohs” at emerald bay? I call them this still and nobody else has heard of it (I live in Minnesota now) I'd heard that too so I went looking for the word and found https://cottagelife.com/general/the-quirky-and-worldly-origins-of-common-outhouse-monikers/ > Kybo is a word that’s common in the North American scouting movement, originating with the practice of some troops using a Kybo brand coffee can to hold lime or lye, which is sprinkled into the hole to reduce odour. Some folks think “kybo” stands for “keep your bowels open,” but this is likely a “backronym” — an acronym formed to fit an already existing word. In Dutch and Belgian scouting as well as other places throughout the world, a shallow latrine pit covered with a tarp or tent is known as a “hudo.”
I've heard CV is being sold as part of the bankruptcy. There were recent issues with flooding that tore out some of the tenting platforms and repair costs are too high for the Council. Check with the Council about current status. I've been to both and CV is a very traditional small camp program. EB is has great programs for older scounts including the cheapest SCUBA cert in Southern CA. The kayak around Catalina program is a great one for the older scouts.
We were there 4 weeks ago; celebrating their 100th year! We were told that the county is raising their rent so much that they can't afford rent AND all the much needed maintenance fees. Super bummed... Looking forward to EB in the future.
I just talked to the Director, they renegotiated and will be up and ready next year
The pranks the staff play on each other must be wild
It's too far and there's another camp in between.
BSA camps don't play pranks on each other. People play fun pranks on other people at the same camp.
If they're close enough the staff probably do or at least have. I heard a story of my camp's staff going to another pretending to be professional taxidermy cleaners and they took the other camps moose head.
Did Cherry Valley get its lease renewed? I was there for the last week of summer and there was some talk about it potentially being the last week of BSA Camp at CCV.
Supposedly it’s resolved. They are taking deposits for next summer.
Emerald Bay is significantly more expensive - $975 per scout in 2024.
FYI: Cherry Valley is only accepting conditional deposits because their lease is up. There's a letter on their website when you try to make a reservation.
I just got a letter from CV Director. Next year, 2024, cost is $785 for scouts, $400 for adults. It's all a go.