Registration for the 2025 NCAC-sponsored Philmont Backpacking Trek is now open. As the traditional backpacking expedition at Philmont, these 12-day treks give crews the opportunity to hike for 10 days in the backcountry with a day of arrival/departure on each end of the journey. Once at Philmont, crews participate in High Adventure program activities throughout their trek. Crews choose their own itinerary, covering 50-120 miles in selected portions of the 144,000+ acre Ranch. In addition, NCAC crews depart two days before arriving at the Ranch for tours at high altitude and a white-water rafting trip. The NCAC High Adventure Committee (HAC) manages all trip logistics and conducts four training sessions to prepare you for this High Adventure of your life.

CREW SIZE: A Philmont crew has a minimum of eight and a maximum number of twelve participants with at least two, but no more than four, adults and a majority of youth participants. The number of yout's must be equal to, or more than, the number of adults. There is one crew available on this trip date, of at least eight, but no more than twelve, members.

REGISTRATION: Please follow these instructions to register and make online payments for all crew members. This trek is available on a first-come, first-served basis. It is being offered as a Provisional Crew made up of individuals from several units or it may be booked entirely by one single unit. For the latter (single unit) option, at least eight participants (the minimum crew size) must register and pay their initial deposits together at one time. Here are directions for registering for both of these crew types:

REGISTERING AS A PROVISIONAL CREW OF INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS: If you are signing up as an individual, or in small groups of several individuals, click Register and sign up for available openings. The number of Youth and Adult openings remaining are shown on the next page in registration. NOTE: Once again, this trip is available on a first-come, first-served basis. If this crew is full, please register on the wait list. If there is sufficient interest, an additional trip may be requested from Philmont.

UNITS WITH EIGHT OR MORE PARTICIPANTS: A Registration Contact should be designated for the crew. This person must be 21+ years old and ideally will be the crew adult Lead Advisor. This person will also be responsible for entering crew information on Philmont's online Gateway once this NCAC registration is complete. This role can be transferred to someone else if circumstances change. The Registration Contact should register at least eight participants and pay the $700 initial deposit for each. You may enter the names of all unit participants and provide the deposit payment for all, or have them register themselves (see below). Registering and paying the deposits for a crew of at least eight participants will reserve the trip for your crew. Please be aware that any openings in a crew of less than twelve may be filled by individuals or NCAC

CREW SIGN-UP: Immediately after the Registration Contact has reserved the trip, each crew member should visit this registration site, complete the registration process and pay the $700 initial deposit. Family members (i.e., one or more youth and adult) may register together. Keep your Registration Number to re-enter the system for future payments.

TRAVEL: NCAC arranges all travel for NCAC crews by group airfare and chartered motor coach to save costs. NCAC Crews meet at the designated airport and travel in Scout uniform as a group to and from the Washington, DC Area. There will be no possibility for crews or individuals to travel independently.

PAYMENT: The total estimated cost for each participant is $2,795. This includes the Philmont fee plus airfare, meals & lodging enroute, and one and a half days of tours and activities (white water rafting, hiking at altitude, et al). As mentioned above, the initial deposit is $700 each. The final payment is estimated to be $695 and will be determined by March 15, 2024. See the table below for the payment schedule:

Payments may be made with a credit card or an e-check. A 3% surcharge applies to all credit/debit card payments; e-check transactions are free. Late fees may apply to payments received after the published due date deadlines.

TRAINING: NCAC High Adventure Committee provides five training sessions to prepare crews for a successful Philmont High Adventure. Adult Advisors and Youth Crew Leaders are expected to attend all sessions; parents are invited to the first training date in November. The dates are:

Direct questions to Mark Wray, HAC Chair, at redshoestwo@juno.com or Eric Smith, NCAC Director of Camping Services, at eric.smith@scouting.org.