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Conference Lodging and Transportation

Conference Venue - National Conservation Training Center (NCTC)

SCGIS 2025 International Conference will take place at the National Conservation Training Center, in Shepherdstown. NCTC is a Federally approved conference and training center located in West Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Here is a link to an interactive map to explore NCTC grounds. For detailed information on NCTC facility services, please see their website.

The National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) has a fixed rate for accommodations + meals while staying at the venue which is $206 USD per night. Please visit their website for more information.

Lodging Reservation and Confirmation

Conference attendees staying on-site must book their rooms directly with the National Conservation Training Center. 

NCTC has four lodge buildings, with 168 single rooms, 20 double rooms (two full size beds in one room) and 12 ADA rooms (one full size bed and a pull out couch). 

For more information on food/meals at NCTC, please visit the NCTC Services page.

If you have any issues confirming your lodging, please email [email protected] and we will be happy to assist you.

Facility Sustainability Fee

NCTC's sustainability fee is $25 per night. This fee covers costs for green improvements and state-of-the-art technology. It is pre-paid for all FWS employees. For non-FWS guests, this fee will be billed along with room charges at the time of check-out. Non-FWS Federal employees should identify the Facility Sustainability Fee on a GSA travel voucher as a non-mileage, miscellaneous fee.

Getting there

The National Conservation Training Center is located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. 

Flying

The venue is about an hour drive from Dulles International Airport, and one hour and 45 minutes from Reagan International Airport in Arlington, VA. See here for information on driving directions from the area’s three major airports. 

Driving

The venue is a 2 hour drive from inner Washington, DC. We highly recommend carpooling if you can.

Carpooling

SCGIS would like to invite you to use this Carpooling tool. We are not liable for any communications nor will we be tracking this sheet. It is simply a tool for conference attendees to use to find transportation to and from the venue. You will be able to privately communicate with the people you are carpooling with however you wish.

By Train

The nearest train stations are in Martinsburg (23 minutes) and Harpers Ferry, WV (30 minutes). Amtrak’s Capitol Limited line serves this station, and runs from Washington, DC (and Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, and Pittsburgh, PA)

For detailed information on NCTC facility services, please see the NCTC facility services web page.

Shuttle

NCTC offers a shuttle on Sundays and Fridays ($100 round-trip).  We will not be organizing a special event shuttle on Wednesday.  Attendees are welcome to book the shuttle to get to the venue on Sunday, however, there are no discounts for one-ways trips.  For this reason, we suggest carpooling or ride sharing (Lyft/Uber).

Childcare

Parents attending the conference will have childcare service available. The Children's Tree House is a non-profit 501(c)3, nature based early childhood education center located on the property of the National Conservation Training Center, where wild things, gardens, and creative minds grow. We care for and nourish children from 3 months to 5 years and provide summer camp for children 5-12 years of age, and we are the home of West Virginia’s only certified Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom. We connect children to nature while providing high quality care that helps build the foundation for their educational journey.

For further details on getting childcare service while attending the conference, please visit Children's Treehouse.

Alternate Lodging

  • There are campsites along the Potomac River available through Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park: https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/camping.htm

  • https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/251263 Rohrbach Group Campground at Antietam National Battlefield 

  • https://www.hipcamp.com/ -- AirBNB for private campsites. There appear to be a few reasonably priced options nearby.

  • Other campsites may be available through state and federal governments. Below are the links to their reservation sites. It is the attendee's responsibility to understand the location (and distance from our venue), amenities, and other relevant details about the site. 

    • https://www.recreation.gov/ manages camping and lodging reservations on federal lands. Recreation.gov is the government's centralized travel planning platform and reservation system for 14 federal agencies, offering the tools, tips, and information needed for you to discover destinations and activities, plan a trip, and explore outdoor and cultural destinations across the country.

    • https://wvstateparks.com/places-to-stay/ West Virginia State Parks has campgrounds, cabins, and other sites that may be reserved.

    • Maryland site: https://parkreservations.maryland.gov/ 

NCTC offers meals a la carte during breakfast, lunch and dinner hours for those who are not staying on-site. You are also allowed to bring your own food, if you choose.

Registration will open soon!