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CAMP
LOCATION
Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch is
located near Walsenburg, Colorado (6,167 ft). From
Walsenburg, take highway 160 west to the edge of town. Turn
south and continue 16 miles on Bear Creek Road. Walsenburg
and Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch is located about 65 Miles
south of Pueblo, Colorado, and about 40 miles north of the
New Mexico border. The closest major highway is Colorado
Interstate 25. This highway is about 16 miles east of the
camp as the crow flies.
Philmont Scout Ranch
is about 108 miles southwest of Spanish Peaks, and we are
their nearest council camp. Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch nests
in a north-facing valley located on the East Spanish Peak
(12,683 feet elevation). Private lands and national forest
surround this property. The camp is in a fairly isolated
area. Huerfano County Road #340 is the access road leading
to the camp then dead ending in private property south of
us. The national forest adjoining the camp is the proposed
Spanish Peaks Wilderness Area and encompasses about 69,000
acres.
Terrain and Topography
The camp is located on the
Spanish Peaks 7.5 minute quadrangle map. The camp's
elevations range from 8300ft. to about 9000ft. The general
terrain is timbered and hilly with valleys extending out of
the mountain. There are small streams in some of these
valleys with various types of timbered forest surrounding
them. These forests are very diverse, containing many types
of trees and shrubs.
The area is also abundant with plants, wild flowers, and
wild animals.
Precautions
must be taken for there are bears, raccoons, and other
small scavenger animals in the area. A clean campsite
utilizing bear bags, no food in the tents, and trash
taken out of the campsite each day will help assure that
there are no problems with the animals. They will walk
through the campsite, but finding no food or smells of food,
they will wonder off.
Many of the plants in the area have herbal uses according
to local elderly people. The area is considered semi arid,
but the camp usually gets afternoon showers throughout the
summer. The temperature can vary greatly, and the
thermometer has been known to drop into the mid 30's even in
June, July, and August. The hiking and backpacking trails
utilized by the camp of the areas mountains high as
13,600ft. There are also a few "Fourteeners"
nearby (within 50 miles).
Spanish Peaks has an interesting
history and spectacular
geology!
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