Intended for tents

MILTONA — Among the houses lining the northern shore of Lake Miltona, Smokey Timbers Camp winds its trails through the trees, inviting visitors to bring their overnight stays, celebrations and other events a little closer to nature. It is thanks to the efforts of the community of residents and volunteers that this 21-acre, longstanding campground is still available.

“I like the fact that people are using it,” said Cheryl Penkivech, president of the Smokey Timbers Foundation. “All the improvements have made it a lot more attractive and easier for people to use. … It’s not sitting here, rotting away.”

Smokey Timbers was founded in 1958, when the William and Minnie Schultz family donated the land as a Girl Scout camp. They operated it for 45 years until, in 2003, the Girl Scout regional council decided to sell the land, all but guaranteeing it for residential development.

However, the following year, local residents and the WesMin Resource Conservation and Development Council acquired the land to protect it from being developed, and in 2009, the STF took over ownership. The STF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is run by an all-volunteer board of directors, and when the foundation acquired the camp, some members of the Schultz family were part of that board, wanting the land’s purpose to remain the same as it was when it was originally donated.

Cheryl and her husband, Jim Penkivech, joined the STF around 2015. They had a cabin on Lake Miltona, now their permanent home, and were part of the Lake Miltona Association; when a storm blew through and knocked over a bunch of trees at Smokey Timbers, Jim offered to lend his skid loader and other equipment, and it was not long before the couple were part of the STF, first as volunteers and then as board members.

Once the STF took on the land, they continued operating it as a campground venue, not as competition for local recreational vehicle campsites or similar businesses. However, the grounds and buildings needed renovation.

“We had the bunkhouse, the kitchen building and the screen porch,” Cheryl said. “We had no indoor plumbing. We had water, … (and) outhouses were the only facilities to be used, and we had an old shower house.”

One of Smokey Timbers’ biggest hurdles was overcome in 2018, when the camp’s $150,000 mortgage was retired.

“That’s a big thing for charitable foundations because a lot of places won’t give you money if you have debt,” Cheryl said. “But you can’t pay your debt if you can’t get money. … It makes for a challenging situation.”

Today, Smokey Timbers’ buildings have seen significant upgrades, indoor plumbing has been installed, and the shower building has been replaced by a multi-room restroom and shower facility. Additions have included an outdoor kitchen, a large gathering yurt, a small “cabin” yurt powered by a solar panel, “The Lions Den” camper cabin donated by the Miltona Lions Club, a patio, storage and more. Playground equipment and a slingshot range are among the outdoor entertainment options on site, along with a dock and the kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, paddleboats and life jackets available to campers. The shallow bank makes the dock a less-than-ideal fishing spot, but it is good for young children who want to wade and swim.

The land itself is also part of the STF’s management plan. A forest restoration project was started in 2018, and in 2021, an updated Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Forestry Stewardship Program plan was implemented. The Miltona Science Magnet School partnered with Smokey Timbers to develop the forest restoration project with MNDNR.

“We don’t have to pay for the (MNDNR) forester to come because we partner with the school,” Cheryl said. “They come every five years, look around the camp and give us recommendations on what things we could do or how things are coming.”

Among the volunteers who regularly help at Smokey Timbers are law enforcement students from Alexandria Technical & Community College in Alexandria. The Thin Blue Line Trail on site is dedicated to the law enforcement graduates who have died in the line of duty.

Campers of all kinds come to Smokey Timbers: Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H clubs, school groups and sports teams, school community education groups, church youth groups, civic groups, families, and others. Aside from camping, the grounds have hosted family reunions, holiday celebrations, parties and weddings. People staying overnight are welcome to bring a camper if they wish, but the STF recommends tents for the best experience.

One of the holiday events Smokey Timbers puts on every year is the Halloween attractions. In the afternoon, young children can follow the Trail of Treats, going through the campground to trick-or-treat at various locations, and in the evening, older thrill-seekers can walk the Spooky Trails with their haunted themes.

Smokey Timbers also offers a dozen mini-camps during the summer to teach skills such as sourdough and cookie baking, crafts, chainsaw safety and fishing.

“We have sponsors to help us with the mini-camps, so they’re very affordable for people to come and do different things,” Cheryl said.

The STF encourages visitor feedback, and Cheryl has yet to hear any negative impressions of Smokey Timbers.

“I’m sure there are always little things, … but we’ve gotten great reviews,” she said.

For Cheryl, the best thing about Smokey Timbers and its improvements is the fact that it provides a little spot on Lake Miltona where people can come and get back in touch with nature, the way its campers have been doing for nearly 70 years.

“We don’t have Wi-Fi here, intentionally,” she said. “Put your stuff away, come out and just have some outdoor-based fun.”