Overview

Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America's oldest national high-adventure base. It covers 137,000 acres - about 214 square miles - of rugged mountain wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) range of the Rocky Mountains in northern New Mexico.

Thirty-four staffed camps and 55 trail camps are operated by the ranch. Philmont has high mountains dominating rough terrain with elevations ranging from 6,500 to 12,441 feet.

History

Philmont has a unique history of ancient Native Americans who chipped petroglyphs into canyon walls, Spanish conquistadors who explored the Southwest long before the first colonists arrived on the Atlantic coast, the rugged breed of mountain man like Kit Carson who blazed trails across this land, the great land barons like Lucien Maxwell who built ranchos along the Santa Fe Trail, and miners, loggers, and cowboys. All these people left their mark on Philmont.

Wildlife

Wildlife is abundant at Philmont. Deer, elk, coyote, antelope, mountain lion, buffalo, beaver, wild turkey, bear, and others all live here. Philmont's hills and canyons teem with birds, and its streams abound with fish. Its cool mountains harbor a wilderness of bounty - trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses.

Beauty

Philmont is rich in natural beauty, including the soaring Tooth of Time, sunrise from lofty Mount Waite Phillips, the blue water of Cimarroncito Reservoir, the panoramic sweep of the plains from Urraca Mesa, and sunlight filtering through the aspens along the rippling Rayado.

Program

Philmont Scout Ranch provides an unforgettable adventure in sky-high backpacking country along hundreds of miles of rugged, rocky trails. Program features combine the best of the Old West - horseback riding, burro packing, gold panning, chuckwagon dinners, and interpretive history - with exciting challenges for today, such as rock climbing, burro racing, mountain biking, and .30-06 rifle shooting. It's an unbeatable recipe for fast-moving fun and the outdoors.

Fellowship

Philmont means camping with your own unit as well as meeting and sharing experiences with other crews from all over America and from other countries. This is an opportunity for fellowship and understanding unequalled anywhere in America.