Overview

Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America's largest 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.

Philmont Scout Ranch operates 34 staffed camps and 55 trail camps. Philmont has high mountains with rough terrain and elevations that range 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 such as Kit Carson, who blazed trails across this land, the great land barons like Lucien Maxwell who built ranches along the Santa Fe Trail and miners, loggers and cowboys. All left their mark on Philmont.

Wildlife

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

Beauty

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

Program

Philmont Scout Ranch provides an unforgettable adventure in backpacking, with land along hundreds of miles of rugged, rocky trails. Philmont Scout Ranch programs feature 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 Scout Ranch allows Scouts to camp with their own units as well as meet and share experiences with other crews from all across the United States of America and countries. A trip to Philmont is an opportunity for fellowship that is unparalleled anywhere in the United States of America.