The Golden Gate Area Council is a destination council for Scouting professionals. The Council provides mentoring and training opportunities while working with an energetic, dedicated, and supportive professional staff, executive committee & board, and volunteer pool – all working together with the shared goal of delivering Scouting’s promise to all available youth.
Covers all or parts of the following nine Bay Area and Northern California counties : Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Solano. Some of the many communities served are: San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, Pleasanton, Hayward, Dublin, Livermore, San Leandro, Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Moraga, Berkeley, Lafayette, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Martinez, Vallejo, Fairfield, Napa, Lakeport, Clearlake, Eureka, and Crescent City.
On November 15, 2021, The Council Service Center, along with a Trading Post, moved into a new office building at 6601 Owens Drive, Suite 100 in Pleasanton. The properties in Pleasant Hill and San Leandro have been sold. Council leases a program office in Alameda which also has a Trading Post. We will be opening a trading post in the Fairfield area in Spring 2022.
The council operates five camping properties: Camp Herms (El Cerrito), Camp Wolfeboro (Arnold), Rancho Los Mochos (Livermore), Camp Royaneh (Cazadero), and Wente Scout Reservation (Willits). Camp Wolfeboro operates under a U.S. Forest Service lease.
There is a leased Sea Base with a dock, pier, and workshop at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco that’s been in use for over 60 years.
The City of San Francisco boasts an outstanding financial district, with a significant number of Fortune 500 companies located and headquartered throughout the council borders. Companies include: Kaiser Permanente, Wells Fargo Bank, Safeway, Genentech, Pacific Gas & Electric, Chevron, Oracle, John Muir Health, The Gap, Workday, Levi Strauss, and Alta Bates Medical Center. Prominent public education and government research facilities include: University of California Berkeley, University of California San Francisco, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories and Sandia National Laboratories.
The area has rich ethnic and cultural diversity within urban to rural communities. Over 100 languages are spoken in our service area. The Total Available Youth for the council territory is 322,885 youth. Of these youth, 42% are Caucasian, 24% are Hispanic, 23% are Asian, and 10% are African American.
The San Francisco Bay Area provides an exceptional quality of life with world class recreation, sports and entertainment, cultural opportunities, fine dining, and outstanding educational institutions.
Within a few hours of driving, one can enjoy areas including:
The area has fantastic outdoor places for hiking, camping, golf, and sailing. Sports teams include the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco 49’s, Oakland A’s, and San Francisco Giants.
The average temperature is 70° in the geographic center, with about 25 inches of rain annually. Summer temperatures remain comfortable near the coast due to dry weather and cooler temperatures as a result of the natural ocean fog.
Our Office and Retail hours change occasionally. Follow this link to view our Current Business Hours.
1714 Everett Street
Alameda, CA 94501 | (510) 965-5631
1955 West Texas St. Suite 1
Fairfield, CA 94533 | (925) 674-6166
508 Contra Costa Blvd, Suite K2
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 | (925) 674-8500
6601 Owens Drive, Suite 100
Pleasanton, CA 94588 | (925) 674-6100
The Golden Gate Area Council has instituted a refund policy to ensure our Scouts receive high quality programs & activities. A great deal of advanced planning and purchasing takes place for programs and events of the Golden Gate Area Council during the months and weeks prior to an event.
The Council will refund up to 100% of the costs for any event it cancels. In order to maintain the most cost effective and positive program impact activity, camping, and event refunds of 100% cannot be given. Refunds are not given for No-Shows, schedule conflicts, weather conditions, or behavior issues occurring before or during the event. Refunds are considered based upon the following criteria and timeline and are returned to the person or entity and in the manner in which they were received.
Time Until Start of Event | Percentage Refund |
Up to 14 days prior | 80% refund |
Up to 7 days prior | 60% refund |
7 days or less | No refund* |
*Participants who cancel from an event within 7 days will be considered for up to a 60% refund if the refund request is accompanied by a Doctor’s note. Requests under these circumstances will not be considered if not received at the Council Service Center less than 14 days after the start of the event.
The Golden Gate Area Council believes each Scout should be given every opportunity to attend Camp. At times it can be hard for a family to raise the money, and Camperships can help cover part of the cost of a week of Camp for Golden Gate Area Council members attending one of the Golden Gate Area Council Camps. Campership applications are due by March 27th for continuing Scouts and May 29th for newly bridged Arrow of Light Scouts.
ALL of our Camps are CLOSED and the Staff is off duty from 11:00 AM on Saturday to 11:00AM on Sunday each weekend.
No Troop……..No Problem! You don’t have to miss out on all the fun just because your troop isn’t going to summer camp or because other summer plans mean you won’t be able to go to camp with your Troop. You may even want to do an additional week of camp just because you had such a great time.
New Friends…….New Experiences! Provisional Camping is just like camping with your home troop, except you’ll have the opportunity to camp with new friends as you join Scouts from all over the council and beyond. You’ll meet new people and have the opportunity to develop friendships that can last a lifetime. Provisional Scouts will partner with a selected Golden Gate Area Council Troop with an experienced leader. You’ll have a full time Scoutmaster for the week that, just like your Scoutmaster back home, will make sure you have a safe and fun camp experience. Provisional scouts can participate in all of the camp’s exciting programs including advancement, competitions, and patrol events. It’s a great way to finish additional Merit Badges, or to try a new part of the program that you weren’t able to try before.
NOTE:
SO, sign up now if you’d like to attend camp as part of the provisional camping program!
Provisional Camping is the creation of a temporary Troop or an opportunity to work with another unit. Provisional camping allows youth to attend camp without their home unit. Provisional camping is not new; it is used during many different Scouting events including National Jamborees and High Adventure trips.
The Scout’s family is responsible for transportation to and from Camp. Please contact the Golden Gate Area Council Camping and Outdoor Programs Department ([email protected]) for questions or more information.
First, try to connect the Scout and counselor in Scoutbook. If that is successful, the counselor is registered and qualified. If unsuccessful, go to the counselor’s home council and search for their Advancement Administrators. Most will have an email address for either the Council Advancement Committee or Professional Advisor. Send an email asking if the counselor has been registered and qualified for the merit badge(s) in question and the status of their Youth Protection Training. Ask California councils if the counselor has completed AB506 training and LiveScan. The unit leader’s “blue card” signature verifies their counselor credentials verification.
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Order of the Arrow
