Naish Scout Reservation - Bonner Springs KS

The 1100-acre reservation is named for Theodore R. Naish, an Englishman born in Birmingham, England on June 21, 1856. In the late 1800�s, he moved to Kansas City, Kansas and, in 1889, took a job working as a civil engineer and draftsman for the city. He often hiked in this part of the country, and these woods and hills were one of his favorite places. Consequently, shortly before marrying Belle Saunders in 1911, he purchased 180 acres of land among the Kaw River in the area now known as South Camp. There he found refuge from the city in the summer months and often took his Sunday school classes with him.

Mr. Naish sailed for Europe with his wife on the ship "Lusitania" in 1915 to visit relatives, but he died when the ship was sunk by a German torpedo. Mrs. Naish survived, but Theordore�s body was never found. Upon returning to the property, Mrs. Naish donated 90 acres of land to the Kaw Council in June, 1926 as a memorial to her husband. (The Kaw Council and Kansas City Area Council merged in 1975 to form the present day Heart of America Council.)

That summer, a director and bugler conducted four sessions of camp on the property near the present day South Camp flag mall for 150 boys. At that time, the water supply was a well, and hiking, archery and baseball were the major programs. By 1931, an entrance road from K-32 highway was completed, and construction on the first permanent buildings on the reservation finished. By 1933, the camp has a dining hall, rifle range and four permanent campsites. In 1948, the Scout Camp swimming pool was erected, bringing an end to the use of the old Beaver Pond for swimming. The site it was built on now serves as the Scout Camp parking lot. The old pool was buried under between 1979 and 1982.

Use of South Camp increased rapidly and, in 1959, Central Camp was established and put into use. The Central Camp dining hall was built the next year, and with its completion, large growth in the use of this portion of the reservation began. Other structures soon followed in Central Camp. The last major building to be built, up until the Order of the Arrow lodge�s Great House in the 1980�s, was the handicraft lodge in 1971. The current Reservation Ranger�s home was constructed in between the completion of them.

Rimrock Trail

Type of Trail: Scenic and Natural

Trail is Approved By: Boy Scouts of America

Length of Trail: 11 miles, all off-road

Difficulty: Moderate, hilly with rocky stretches

Starting Point: Theodore Naish Scout Reservation, between Bonner Springs and Edwardsville, Kansas. Turn north off Highway K-32 at 121st Street (look for "Camp Naish" sign on K-32) and proceed north on blacktop road for 1� miles to camp entrance on east side of road, then to central camp parking lot. Trailhead is at the Central Camp Nature Lodge.

Ending Point: Loop in the trail near the trailhead. The trail can also be broken down into two segments of about 5 miles, and 6 miles; each has easy return access to the trailhead and parking lot.

Advance Time Required for Reservations: Two weeks

Procedure for Making Reservations: If you are a scout unit please submit a short term camping form and fax to Camp Naish at 913-441-6920 for approval. Non-Scouting Units must contact the Reservation Ranger - rledgerw@bsamail.org for more information.