| 2023 description: 'If your crew is interested climbing, mining, and muzzle loading rifles, then this itinerary is for you! Begin your journey at the
Lovers Leap Trailhead with your Ranger and make your way to Aguila trail camp to continue your training. Stop by Crater
Lake the next day where you will learn skills from the loggers of the Continental Tie & Lumber Co and work on a railroad tie.
Then, you are off to Miners Park for a unique climbing experience. Check out their climbing wall, climbing gym, and participate
in crate stacking if you get the chance! Rest up that night, as your next day brings you your first mountain climbing experience!
Climb up and over Shaefers Pass and climb to the top of Shaefers Peak and enjoy the views. Head down to Clarks Fork for
some Western Lore activities, a chuckwagon dinner, and a boot stomping time at their evening campfire program. The next
day brings your crew through the Demonstration Forest and Hunting Lodge for some time with the foresters or a tour of the
Hunting Lodge. Cimarroncito will be your next camp, where you will be able to enjoy more rock climbing and rappelling on
natural rock. The climbing gym and traverse wall at the camp also provide a unique climbing challenge. Up and at ‘em, as
your next day takes you up to Cyphers Mine for an opportunity to get hands on experiences learning the life of a miner, pan for
gold, tour the Contention Mine, and enjoy a rip-roaring time at The Stomp! Two more peaks await you, Comanche Peak, and
Philmont’s second highest peak, Mount Phillips. You’ll spend the night at Mount Phillips camp before heading down to Clear
Creek the next day to spend some time with the trappers of the Rocky Mountain Fur Co. and learn how to throw tomahawks
and shoot muzzle loading rifles. From there you will move on to the CS Ranch’s American Creek trail camp for the night.
Your journey is almost complete, but not before hiking down the Tolby Road Trail, which offers breathtaking views of the
Wheeler Peak Range as you make your way to the Tolby Trailhead, and ultimately back to Base Camp.' |
| 2022 description: 'This far north, nine-day trek, brings you from the oldest footprints on Philmont to the more recent boot prints of the cowboy west. In addition to examples of footwear, your crew will experience tracks of a different kind – from artifact metal rails to rubber impressed trails. Your crew’s first backcountry highlight is visiting the T-Rex track, which will transport you to a time when sandy beaches were the landscape and dinosaurs hiked these trails. Your Philmont Ranger will still be with you as your crew continues through Indian Writings camp and a tour of the Ancestral Puebloan petroglyphs. Try to spot them from the valley as if you were a passenger on the trains that also inhabited these trails. From the petroglyphs, you’ll follow these relic train routes through the North Ponil Canyon. At Metcalf Station, your crew will move from trails to rails. Work as a laborer on these tracks and gain an appreciation for your modern world struggles. From here, you’ll leave the metal train tracks and begin trekking toward tracks made from robber. The Valle Vidal tract of land includes a remote mountain bike camp called Whiteman Vega. Whether you’ve never ridden a bike or are a downhill expert, the team at this northernmost camp will help you grind the gears. On day six, your crew will complete a conservation project before heading south to Seally Canyon. On the surface, Philmont’s nationally renowned Conservation Department will open your eyes to see the work you never knew went into outdoor recreation. On a deeper level, your crew will be given ownership and responsibility - learning to respect the land, shoulder their fair of the burden, and hard work is its own reward. Next, learn a variety of Search and Rescue tactics from the incident command post at Seally Canyon, and learn about lost person behavior, wilderness medicine, and more. Challenge course events await you as you pass through Dan Beard, where you can hone your skills as a team working together to overcome a variety of obstacles. Your last day is downhill as you head for the final roundup, Cowboy Action Shooting, and horse rides at Ponil western lore camp. Reflect on the vast history of Philmont Scout Ranch and the many rails, trails, tracks, and footprints you’ve witnessed, including yours, as you make your way back to base from the Poni Trailhead!' |
| Day | 2023 Trek 908 Campsite | 2022 Trek 904 Campsite | Program Differences |
| 1 | CHQ Trailbound | ||
| 2 | Aguila | Anasazi | Tyrannosaurus Rex Track not included in 2023 trek 908 |
| 3 | Miner's Park | Metcalf Station | Traverse Wall included in 2023 trek 908 Crosscut Saws / Tie making included in 2023 trek 908 Blacksmithing not included in 2023 trek 908 Campfire not included in 2023 trek 908 Archaeology not included in 2023 trek 908 Petroglyphs Tour not included in 2023 trek 908 Railroading not included in 2023 trek 908 |
| 4 | Clarks Fork | Beatty Lakes | Chuck Wagon Dinner included in 2023 trek 908 Campfire included in 2023 trek 908 Western Lore / Branding included in 2023 trek 908 Food Pickup included in 2023 trek 908 Conservation Project included in 2023 trek 908 Climb Shaefer's Peak included in 2023 trek 908 |
| 5 | Cimarroncito | Whiteman Vega | Hunting Lodge Tour included in 2023 trek 908 Rock Climbing & Rappelling included in 2023 trek 908 Folk Weather Forecasting not included in 2023 trek 908 Mountain Biking not included in 2023 trek 908 Food Pickup not included in 2023 trek 908 |
| 6 | Lamberts Mine | Seally Canyon | Blacksmithing included in 2023 trek 908 Campfire included in 2023 trek 908 Gold Mining & Panning included in 2023 trek 908 Food Pickup included in 2023 trek 908 Mine Tour included in 2023 trek 908 Search & Rescue / Wilderness Medicine not included in 2023 trek 908 Conservation Project not included in 2023 trek 908 |
| 7 | Mt Phillips | Dan Beard | Water included in 2023 trek 908 Climb Comanche Peak included in 2023 trek 908 Challenge Events not included in 2023 trek 908 |
| 8 | American Creek | Ponil | Muzzle Loading Rifles included in 2023 trek 908 Rocky Mountain Fur Company included in 2023 trek 908 Climb Mount Phillips included in 2023 trek 908 Tomahawks included in 2023 trek 908 Cantina not included in 2023 trek 908 Chuck Wagon Dinner not included in 2023 trek 908 Campfire not included in 2023 trek 908 Cowboy Action Shooting not included in 2023 trek 908 |
| 9 | CHQ Homebound | Horse Rides not included in 2023 trek 908 |