You are allowed to take your car to your campsite in order to unpack it. However, you can’t park your car right next to your tent. Expect to carry your stuff from your car to where you’ll pitch your tent about 25 to 100 feet.
Although Hidden Valley allows you to unpack your car by your campsite, you are not allowed to park your car there overnight. There is a parking lot by the front of the camp.
We recommend that you go to the campsite, unpack your car, then move your car back to the parking area before setting up your campsite. This way, other people have a chance to unpack their cars too.
Proper Shabbat attire for the Kinus is our scouting uniforms. For those who don’t have scouting uniforms, comfortable clothing is good. Few people actually bring Shabbat clothing.
If you want to go on a hike, you should have hiking shoes. You should also wear appropriate and comfortable, but sturdy clothing. This includes girls too! Shabbat clothes will get torn on hikes. Shabbat shoes will get ruined. We recommend to girls who like wearing long skirts that they should consider wearing pants underneath. There will come times when they may have to lift their skirts up to get over rocks or prickly plants.
Shower facilities are available, but be sure to follow BSA rules for Gender and Age separation. Youth Protection policies require that No adults share bathroom and shower facilities with youth, and that gender specific facilities are used. Hidden Valley’s modern Shower facilities accommodate all needs.
Please be sure to clean up after yourself! As Scouts it is our duty to return the facility back in the same or better condition than we get it!
We have a downloadable packing list. The packing list has been honed to perfection by years of experience. You do not need expensive outdoor stuff. Most of us do quite well with Target for almost all of our camping gear. They have everything you’ll need and at reasonable prices. I may not shop at Target if I were going to scale K2, but we’re talking about a weekend camping trip.
We do highly recommend that you buy true outdoor gear, and not the sleeping bags you might use for sleep overs. This also applies to tents too. The backyard play tents with cartoon pictures are just too lightweight for sleeping in the outdoors.
Oh, a helpful hint about tents: When a tent says it can sleep “X” number of people, it is talking about people being packed like sardines. We recommend that you buy a tent that advertises itself as twice the size that you need. For example, if you are two people, buy a four man tent. If you are three people, buy a six man tent. Also, if your kids are old enough to sleep on their own, you might want to consider getting two separate tents: One for the kids and one for the adults. Remember that you’ll be storing your gear in your tent too.
Each and every year, Scouts for the Northeast and elsewhere, get together for a weekend of camping fun and excitement. We have delicious kosher meals provided by our kitchen staff and spend a beautiful Shabbat together. We also play all sorts of fun games, and learn all sorts of exciting stuff.
Not a camper? It doesn’t matter! Many of the adults who attend the Kinus do not think of themselves as campers, but still manage to have a blast. The weather is always beautiful! We guarantee it! The crowd is friendly, and the experience is fantastic! We also have various activities for our scouters and interesting lectures for the adults on various Jewish topics. For the more adventurous, on Sunday, we have various hikes from a ten mile trek to a light ramble around the camp grounds exploring the local wildlife and plants, and other fun activities.
