This strenuous north country itinerary will take your crew through some of the most challenging terrain on Philmont while getting great program opportunities along the way. You will start off your trek at the Chase Trailhead where you can see what living on a ranch in the 1800s was like at the Chase Ranch House. After your first night at Hells Fire Canyon, you will rock climb on some unique rock formations at one of Philmonts newest staffed camps, Chase Cow. Enjoy the scenic hike to the North Ponil trail camp but be sure to stop and help build a new railroad for the Cimarron and Northwestern Railway at Metcalf Station. Your crew will then venture onward to beautiful Beatty Lakes in the Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest. Try your hand at challenge course events at Dan Beard before crossing over into the Valle, though! The next day, be ready to be engulfed by the scenic meadows of the Valle as you make your way through Seally Canyon and on to Ring Place. Make the short hike to Ring Place to participate in folk weather forecasting and astronomy that night and complete your conservation project. If you have time, you might even be able to get a fun ride on the mountain bikes at Whiteman Vega! After spending the following night practicing your low impact camping skills at Greenwood Canyon, your crew will make the ascent towards the historic Baldy Mining District. Hang your bear bags and side hike to the summit of Philmont's highest peak, Baldy Mountain, before you head down to Copper Park to set up camp for the night. After a night of rest, hike through Baldy Town and soak in the mining history of this former gold mining town, pick up food, and make your way to Touch-Me-Not Creek Camp. You'll have the chance to see the Rendezvous at Miranda and throw some tomahawks while you are there! Make your way to Head of Dean and enjoy the Challenge Course program from top notch facilitators. The next day is a short hike so can look forward to plenty of time with the loggers at Pueblano to participate in the Continental Tie and Lumber Companys spar pole climbing, tie making, and company meeting campfire. The next day you will hike to the Ponil Trailhead to be picked up by the bus. Next stop… Base Camp! | ||||
Per the Guidebook to Itineraries: "Due to potential emergencies, such as catastrophic fires, Crews must not deviate from their assigned itinerary. Changes are only permitted for bona fide medical emergencies and must be approved in advance by the Logistics Department." |
Day | Camp | Program Features | Campsite Features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | CHQ Trailbound | Opening Campfire | Commissary; Showers; Trading Post;   | |
2 | Hells fire Canyon![]() | Food Pickup @ CHQ Trailbound | Trail Camp; (Commissary; Showers; Trading Post; at CHQ Trailbound) | |
Bus to Chase Trailhead | Trail Camp;  | |||
Ranger Training ![]() | Trail Camp;  | |||
Tour Historic Chase Ranch @ Chase Ranch | Trail Camp;  | |||
3 | Chase Cow![]() | Rock Climbing & Rappelling ![]() |   | |
Bouldering ![]() |   | |||
4 | North Ponil![]() | Railroading @ Metcalf Station | Trail Camp;  | |
5 | Beatty Lakes![]() | Challenge Events @ Dan Beard | Low Impact Camp; Trail Camp; (Low Impact Camp; at Dan Beard) | |
6 | Ring Place | Food Pickup | Commissary; Low Impact Camp;   | |
Folk Weather Forecasting | Commissary; Low Impact Camp;   | |||
Astronomy | Commissary; Low Impact Camp;   | |||
Search & Rescue / Wilderness Medicine @ Seally Canyon![]() | Commissary; Low Impact Camp;  (Low Impact Camp; at Seally Canyon) | |||
Conservation Project @ Whiteman Vega | Commissary; Low Impact Camp;  (Low Impact Camp; at Whiteman Vega) | |||
7 | Greenwood Canyon | Low Impact Camping ![]() | Low Impact Camp; Trail Camp;  | |
8 | Copper Park | Climb Baldy Mountain | Trail Camp;  | |
9 | Touch-Me-Not Creek![]() | Mining History @ Baldy Town![]() | Trail Camp; (Commissary; Trading Post; Showers; at Baldy Town) | |
Assaying @ Baldy Town![]() | Trail Camp;  | |||
Food Pickup @ Baldy Town | Trail Camp;  | |||
Tomahawks @ Miranda | Trail Camp;  | |||
10 | Head of Dean | Challenge Events |   | |
11 | Pueblano | Crosscut Saws / Tie making |   | |
spar pole climbing |   | |||
Campfire |   | |||
12 | CHQ Homebound | Awards Campfire | Commissary; Showers; Trading Post;   | |
Hike to Ponil Trailhead | Commissary; Showers; Trading Post;   | |||
Day | Camp | Potential Additional Program Features | Campsite Features |
---|---|---|---|
2 | CHQ Trailbound | Visit the Villa Philmonte | Commissary; Showers; Trading Post; |
National Scouting Museum | |||
4 | Metcalf Station | Morse Code | |
5 | Dan Beard | Leave No Trace Training | Low Impact Camp; |
6 | Ring Place | Historic Homestead | Commissary; Low Impact Camp; |
Side Hike to McCrystal Creek Ruins | |||
Whiteman Vega | Mountain Biking | Low Impact Camp; | |
9 | Baldy Town | Climb Baldy Mountain | Commissary; Trading Post; Showers; |
Tour Historic Baldy Town | |||
Miranda | Muzzle Loading Rifles | ||
Mountain Man Rendezvous | |||
Climb Baldy Mountain | |||
10 | Head of Dean | pickup crew based challenge events | |
11 | Pueblano | Continental Tie & Lumber | |
12 | CHQ Homebound | Visit the Villa Philmonte | Commissary; Showers; Trading Post; |
National Scouting Museum | |||