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Camp Horseshoe


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Camp Horseshoe, located 11 miles northeast of Parsons on County Route 7 in the Monongahela National Forest in Tucker County, offers summer youth camping experiences. Week-long community-building camps are intended to develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills among young people. Camp Horseshoe is also available as a year-round conference center for adult groups of 20 to 200 people, and quilting retreats have become increasingly popular week-long events. The adjoining Horseshoe Recreation Area offers tent and trailer camping. The camp is operated by Ohio-West Virginia YMCA.

Camp Horseshoe was constructed in 1938–39 by the Civilian Conservation Corps for the U.S. Forest Service, and many of the original buildings are in use today. The Ohio-West Virginia YMCA has leased Horseshoe from the Forest Service since 1940. Past programs included Hi-Y Leadership Camp, Hemophilia Camp, Cancer Camp, and the Horseshoe Adventure Camp for low-income children.

In October 2023, Camp Horseshoe signed a new 60-year property lease with the Monongahela National Forest to continue using the property. The camp is one of the oldest federal camps in the east still functioning in its basic initial use. The heated dining hall, resident cabins, and meeting lodge have the original rustic look of the old CCC.

Written by Heather Roberts Biola