A Fun-Filled Day With Your Troop

Hike
Hiking our 2 1/2-mile wood-chip nature trail, filled with the wonderful sights, sounds and smells today's kids experience all too rarely, is a great experience.  A map can be found inside the Visitors Guide.

Pick up a copy of our Hiking Trail-Tree Identification Guide at the Visitors Center kiosk desk to use along the trail. Completion of the Guide meets some of the requirements for the Webelos Forester Activity Badge, Boy Scout Forester Merit Badge. and Junior Girl Scout Outdoor Connections badge.(This guide is recommended for summer and fall, when the trees have leaves.)

Fish
Scout groups can fish  at Shaffner Pond, in the northeast corner of the park. Fishing is allowed Saturday and Sunday mornings from sunrise to 8:30am and Mondays between 9 a.m. and 5 pm. Please call Security at 630.260.8207 to arrange a fishing outing. The pond is home to bluegill, bass, carp, and catfish and is strictly catch and release. Please bring your own fishing poles, bait, and gear. People over age 16 who are fishing must have a valid fishing permit.

Learn
Cantigny has partnered with the DuPage Rivers Fly-tyers (DRiFT) to offer Boy Scouts an introduction to fly fishing. Boy Scouts can try their hand at different styles of casting, be introduced to fly-tying, and spend time fishing. For more information or to schedule an outing, please contact Glenn Hazen, DRiFT Merit Badge Coordinator, at 630 682 4984.

Our campsites may be reserved during daylight hours Monday-Thursday for Scout activities. Practice pitching tents, learn to build a fire, cook a meal, or review safe camping procedures.

Explore
Scout groups are invited to visit the McCormick Museum (guided tours only) and the First Division Museum (self-guided tours only). Please indicate if your group plans to visit either museum when you make your reservation. We require a minimum of one chaperone for every10 Scouts entering the museum.

Cantigny’s gardens are open for self-guided exploration. Stroll through the Formal Gardens, stop and smell the roses in the Rose Garden, and marvel at the creative displays in the Idea Garden.

End your visit with a stop in our Prairie Garden. Spend a quiet moment studying Spirit of Commitment, a statue at Reflection Point. In this work, artist Jeff Adams links four figures physically and allegorically to reflect interrelationships philosophically and across time. These people show sacrifice, strength, courage, love, resolve, and hope. In their commitment we find the potential for good, for freedom, for a better world. As Boy and Girl Scouts share the same ideals of citizenship and service, Reflection Point is a place to stop and reflect on what it means to be a Scout.

Visit Basics
Scout groups are welcome and encouraged to visit the park at any time during our normal hours of operation.

The groups should be comprised of Scouts and leaders (no siblings or additional parents) in uniform.  Tiger Cubs and Daisies may follow the same reservation procedure, but are required to bring one parent per child (no siblings or additional parents). Please make your reservations at least two weeks in advance by calling 630 260 8162. There is no charge for Scouts and their leaders to visit Cantigny as a Scout outing.

Any scout group visiting Cantigny with additional people (family outings) are required to pay the parking fee and reservations are not needed.

Earning Badges
A self-directed visit to Cantigny can easily meet some of the requirements for a variety of badges and awards.  Please email Scouts@Cantigny.org for a list of such badges/awards. The awards and badges on the list are not formalized staff-led programs, but rather awards and badges that could have some of their requirements met through a visit to Cantigny. Scoutmasters and adult leaders will need to plan the activities.

Cantigny currently offers a variety of badge programs for Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts through the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana: Lisle Regional Service Center. Girl Scouts from any Council may sign up for these programs. Visit www.GirlScoutsPW.org to learn more.

Click here to explore the First Division Museum’s scout opportunities.

Cantigny patches are available for $2.00 at the Visitors Center gift shop.