Troop 628 in Lake Forest, California

Congratulations to our Eagle Scout and Marine Recruit, Adam, for his important part in the evacuation of travelers at the Hotel fire in Lake Forest! He and his fellow troop members received the Fireman's Hero Award! See the article at the OC Register.com.

Troop 628 considers the oath sworn by every scout to be an important part in the everyday life of each of our scouts and adult leaders.

Troop 628 is a dynamic Troop with a long history in the Saddleback Valley. We have drawn boys from all of our neighboring cities because we have one of the most active balanced programs in the area as well one of the best meeting facilities. We meet at the Lake Forest Beach and Tennis Club which gives access to pools, the lake, sandy beach area with firepits, volleyball, basketball and tennis. We are very grateful to our association for their 36 years of sponsorship and support.

We believe strongly that Scouting is building character through a camping program and leadership development. If the program is interesting, challenging and fun, then the scouts will stay with the troop and go up in rank. Therefore our troop runs 16 to 20 campouts per year. These campouts take us from the mountains to the desert to the sea. There is generally one car camp every month, a number of bike hikes, one or two summer camps and one long term summer family trip every year. In addition to the car camping trips, there is also a backpacking program that runs simultaneously. This program begins in the fall with a simple hike and then every couple of months has a progressively more difficult hike till they are hiking peaks of San Gregonio and Mt Whitney.

The boys learn leadership because they run the Troop. They decide where they are going camping, they plan the meals, do the shopping and the cooking. They also plan the weekly Troop meetings. The boys take responsibility for the how the Troop operates and this builds character.

At Troop 628, we have something for everyone. Whether you are into, backpacking, car camping, technical rock climbing, fishing, bike hikes, cliff diving or just playing at the beach, we make it happen. Come down and visit us on any Wednesday night and see Scouting at its best.

Check out the pictures in our Photo Gallery. See the work from Jackson's Eagle Project by clicking here!!

We welcome you to join us any Wednesday and see our troop in action!