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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.
Map
of Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch
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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