The Philmont Training Center (PTC), located at the

Philmont Scout Ranch Philmont Scout Ranch is a ranch located in Colfax County, New Mexico, near the village of Cimarron; it covers of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the east side of the Cimarron Range of the Rocky Mountains. Donated by oil baro ...

near

Cimarron, New Mexico Cimarron is a Village (United States), village in Colfax County, New Mexico, Colfax County, New Mexico, United States, which sits on the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The population was 1,021 at the 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

, has been the National Training Center of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

(BSA) since 1950. The PTC offers week-long training conferences from June through September for council, district, and unit volunteers, BSA professionals, and youth leaders with several conferences taking place each week. The PTC also offers activities for family members including hikes throughout the week and a week-long backpacking program called a Mountain Trek for youth ages 14 to 20.

Program

Some participants and families drive to PTC, while others take a plane, chartered bus, or

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

to travel to the training center. The

Southwest Chief The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and Southwest via Kansas City, Albuquerque, and Flagstaff ...

runs between

Los Angeles Union Station Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California, and the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States. It opened in May 1939 as the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, replacing La Grande S ...

and

Chicago Union Station Chicago Union Station is an intercity and commuter rail terminal located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The station is Amtrak's flagship station in the Midwest. While serving long-distance passenger trains, it is also ...

, and includes a station in Raton. Participants can then take a shuttle from the Amtrak station to Philmont. There is private plane service at Raton Municipal Airport, but there are no commercial flights there. Nearby commercial airports are the

Albuquerque International Sunport Albuquerque International Sunport is the primary international airport serving the U.S. state of New Mexico, the Albuquerque metropolitan area, and the larger Albuquerque– Santa Fe–Las Vegas combined statistical area. It handles around 5. ...

airport,

Denver International Airport Denver International Airport , locally known as DIA, is an international airport in the Western United States, primarily serving metropolitan Denver, Colorado, as well as the greater Front Range Urban Corridor. At , it is the largest airport in ...

Colorado Springs Airport City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport , known as Colorado Springs Airport, is a city-owned public civil-military airport southeast of downtown Colorado Springs, in El Paso County, Colorado, United States., effective December 30, 2021. It i ...

Pueblo Memorial Airport Pueblo Memorial Airport is a public airport located six miles east of Pueblo, in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. It is primarily used for general aviation. Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 4,345 passenger board ...

with service to Denver, and

Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport is a public airport six miles (10 km) east of downtown Amarillo, in Potter County, Texas, United States. The airport was renamed in 2003 after NASA astronaut and Amarillo native Rick Husband, ...

. Commercial chartered buses are available to and from the airports and some cities. Participants and their families arrive at the PTC on Sunday and depart on the following Saturday. Meals are served in dining halls, and participants are housed in large wall tents on platforms with twin beds, electricity and a cabinet. Located near the tents are showers, restrooms, medical facilities, recreation and craft areas. Conference program fees include meals, lodging, and conference and family program materials. During the week the participants attend a training conference while their families participate in the PTC's family programming.

Training provided

The Philmont Training Center offers adult leader training conferences for Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting,

Venturing Venturing is a core program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women ages 14 (or 13 and graduated the eighth grade) through 20. It is one of the Boy Scouts' three programs for older youth, which also include Sea Scouts and Exploring. ...

Order of the Arrow The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the honor society of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), composed of Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives as elected by their peers. The society was created by E. Urner G ...

Exploring Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

, Commissioner Service, BSA training team staff, and BSA Professional employees. There are also conferences on Serving Scouts with special needs, camp management, and

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

(Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) initiatives in Scouting. Skills such as

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done fo ...

rappelling Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to low ...

COPE The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colours, litu ...

, shooting sports,

orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a s ...

, and

wilderness first aid A wilderness medical emergency is a medical emergency that takes place in a wilderness or remote setting affinitive care (hospital, clinic, etc.). Such an emergency can require specialized skills, treatment techniques, and knowledge in order to m ...

are also taught at the Training Center. Various religions, such as the

LDS Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and

Baptist Church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

, hold Scouting leadership conferences at PTC.

National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE) is a training program of Boy Scouts of America. The format is a week-long, leadership development experience, providing young men and women aged 14 through 20 the environment to enhance their ...

(NAYLE) is a high-intensity Boy Scout leadership course taught at Philmont. It is based on backcountry high adventure skills and began in the summer of 2006 replacing the previous National Youth Leader Instructor Camp course. The course is available to Boy Scouts age 14 through 17 who have completed their local council

National Youth Leadership Training National Youth Leadership Training, often called NYLT, is the current youth leadership development training offered by the Boy Scouts of America. The program is conducted at the council level over six days for Scouts, Venturers, and Sea Scouts. ...

(NYLT) course and is held during six one-week sessions. Based at Philmont's Rocky Mountain Scout Camp and taught at various locations across Philmont Scout Ranch, the program hones youth leadership skills through ethical decision making and participation in Philmont Ranger backcountry training. The program is strongly grounded in the philosophy of Servant leadership. Philmont Training Center IMG 0527

Family programs

Philmont Scout Ranch Museum and Seton Library

During the day when leaders are attending training conferences, their family members attend programs based on their age. The Philmont Museum and Seton Memorial Library, located just down the road from PTC, and the Kit Carson Museum, located seven miles south of PTC, are open to visit and tour by the PTC family programs. The family programs may also hike on a few of the trails located on the eastern edge of the ranch. In the evening families gather together for dinner and evening programs including crafts, games, sing-alongs,

hoedown A hoedown is a type of American folk dance or square dance in duple meter, and also the musical form associated with it. Overview The most popular sense of the term is associated with Americans in rural or southeastern parts of the country, par ...

s, western themed picnics with

branding Branding may refer to: Physical markings * Making a mark, typically by charring: ** Wood branding, permanently marking, by way of heat, typically of wood (also applied to plastic, cork, leather, etc.) ** Livestock branding, the marking of animals ...

, and campfires at the beginning and end of the week. Just like the participants on Philmont treks, PTC participants may earn the

Duty to God Award The Duty to God Award honor was presented to young men who participated and excelled in their duties in the Aaronic Priesthood within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Duty to God program, which operated in various formats from ...

with guidance from the chaplains.

History

Wealthy oil magnate and wilderness enthusiast

Waite Phillips Waite Phillips (January 19, 1883 – January 27, 1964) was an American petroleum businessman who created a fully integrated operation that combined petroleum producing, refining and marketing. With headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he also develo ...

amassed a large part of the old Beaubien and Miranda land grant in the 1920s, totaling over . Phillips built a large residence in the lowlands of Philmont. He turned the ranch into a private game reserve for himself and friends, and built a number of hunting lodges and day-use camps. Phillips sometimes allowed others including a few Boy Scout troops to visit his ranch. He was so impressed with the Scouts that in 1938 he donated of his land to the

. In 1941, Phillips added more Philmont property, including the Villa Philmonte, bringing the total to .Philmont History
/ref> Facilities surrounding the Villa Philmonte were built and it became the National Training Center of the Boy Scouts of America in 1950. Tours are now offered of the Villa Philmonte, as the residence is now a museum instead of being used as classrooms.

References

External links