Philmont Scout Ranch is a national camping area, owned and operated by the Boy Scouts of America. Philmont is quite large, comprising 137,493 acres or about 215 square miles of rugged mountain wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) range of the Rockies. 32 staffed camps and 50 unstaffed camps are operated by the ranch. Philmont has high mountains which dominate rough terrain with an elevation ranging from 6,500 to 12,441 feet.  Scouts from all over the country come to spend time in this beautiful place on eleven-day "treks," carrying all their equipment in backpacks.