About Us

JPL Troop 509 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, is chartered by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The troop was established in 1952, with a linked girls troop added in 2019. The troop is known for its many outdoor activities, its high adventure trips and its many Eagle Scouts. The boys troop has approximately 65 boys and the girls troop has approximatley 65 girls, each troop with its own adult and scout leadership, under a single Troop Committee. A third of our scouts live in La Cañada and two-thirds in Pasadena, Glendale and other nearby communities. The troop is in the Rose Bowl District of the Greater Los Angeles Area Council.

Troop Meetings are Mondays at 7 pm at La Cañada High School's cafeteria during the school year, and in nearby Hahamongna Watershed Park during the summer. STEM talks and courts of honor typically take place at JPL.

Outings include summer camp on Catalina Island, backpacking, whitewater rafting, climbing, Joshua Tree camping, ocean kayaking, Camporee, local hikes (including night hikes), Camp Iron Chef, bicycling and snow sports.

High Adventure Outings. Each year the troop sends crews to one or more of the four national high adventure bases: Philmont (backpacking or horseback riding in New Mexico's Rocky Mountains), Northern Tier (canoeing in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness), Summit (kayaking and rafting in West Virginia's New River Gorge National Park) and Sea Base (sailing & snorkeling or scuba diving in the Florida Keys).