Camp Mack

Please note the following restrictions!

Night riding is permitted at Camp Mack no less than 30 minutes after sunset.  SAMBA highly recommends never riding at night alone and riders to have two lights; one mounted on the handlebar and one mounted on the helmet. 

J Edward Mack Scout Reservation

• The J.E. Mack Scout Reservation is a private property owned and operated by the PA Dutch Council (http://padutchbsa.org/) of the Boy Scouts of America.

• The 1000+ acre property is open to the public for mountain biking, hiking, trail running and other non-scouting activities provided the Camp closure dates/ map restrictions are observed and respected.
• Hunting is permitted only through the exclusive use of the Hammer Creek hunt Club
• SAMBA and the Pa Dutch Council have been working together since early 2002 and continue this relationship under a VOLUNTEER TRAIL STEWARDSHIP AGREEMENT that is new for 2015.

History of Camp Mack

Since the beginnings of mountain biking, Camp Mack has been a keystone in the area known to many as “Brickerville”.  Famous for its rocks, roots and rough terrain it was a natural spot for some of the areas earliest mountain bike races featuring cross country, trials and downhill events. These Big Timber Races introduced many people to the sport and helped make Camp Mack a go to spot for great riding.

Early 2000’s, a forestry stewardship plan was being put into action to start the harvesting of standing timber on the property and a permit system was put into place that would charge mountain bikers a $50 per year to ride on the property. After a couple of years of the PA Dutch council administering the permit system and logging taking its toll on the trail system, SAMBAcontacted the PA Dutch Council. At the first meeting SAMBA was notified the council was considering closing the property to all non-scouting activities, citing increasing conflict with different user groups and difficulty with the permit system. Coming out of that meeting SAMBA was able to present a plan that would provide the Pa Dutch Council with solutions to these issues. The first benefit to the council was the transfer of the administration of the permit system from the scout office in Lancaster to Green Mountain Cyclery along with a cost reduction from $50 to $25 a year. The second benefit was SAMBA would provide communication to the greater mountain biking community to reduce conflicts. The third would be the redevelopment of the trails lost to timber harvesting, following best practices established by the International Mountain Bike Association. The plan was approved and implemented with approximately 100 passes issued every year and many trails re-established with hundreds of volunteer hours cementing the relationship between SAMBA and the Pa Dutch Council.

After years of service to the Scouts, SAMBA, with support from IMBA, was able to negotiate the elimination of the permit system and enter into a Volunteer Trail Stewardship Agreement that allows for the continuation of SAMBA support for years to come.