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Sugarite Canyon State Park is located off of Interstate 25 about 5 miles outside of Raton, New Mexico. Take exit 452 (N36 54.013 W104 25.465) and head east on NM72. You will come to a fork in the road at N36 05.103 W104 22.288. Take the left fork, which will be NM526. This road will lead you to the park entrance. Stop by the visitor center at N36 56.425 W104 22.811 to pay for your camping or day-use pass. Fees are listed further down the page.
The coordinates at the top of the page are for event headquarters in the Gambel Oak Group Camping area. There is plenty of room for tent camping there and in the adjacent field. We can fit a few small RVs or tent trailers in this area also, but parking space is limited!
There is one cache in the park already. I'll be placing more for the event. The park management has given me permission to place two permanent geocaches in the park.
About Sugarite Park:
The visitor center sits just above 6900 feet in elevation, the rest of the park is on higher ground. For those with RV's, there is one campground with RV hookups and a dump station. We have reserved the group campground from Friday through Monday. The Gambel Oak Group Camping Area is where we will be staying. This is located in the Soda Pocket Campground and sits at 7800 feet elevation. We were unable to reserve the group shelter, so the Sunday evening dinner will take place at event HQ (the group camping area)
This is high-altitude camping! Do not expect to show up Sunday afternoon and be able to do a 2-mile hike! Your body will need time to adjust to the altitude. There are 14 total miles of hiking trails if you like hiking (and what geocacher doesn't!?), some of these are available for mountain bike use also. I might use part of Saturday to ride "Opportunity Trail" which is nearly 6 miles full-circle.
Event schedule (subject to change):
Friday
- We'll drive to the park and setup camp, marking our "territory". If you arrive before us, please wait for us to get there before setting up your camp. We have a lot of people and vehicles to fit in a small area. Sax Man's campsite will be the one closest to the event HQ coordinates (on the inside of the loop road).
- (Volunteer needed) to introduce geocaching to the park visitors at the Campfire program area located south of Event HQ.
Saturday
- The Sugarite Park Rangers host a kids program in the Soda Pocket Campground at 2pm. We'll have more details when you check-in
- Setup temporary caches for the event
- Meet arriving cachers
- Explore the park or the City of Raton
- Campfire stories and BYOB/Margaritas (for adults - 21 and up in New Mexico)
There are fire rings at each "site" in the group camping area, and you are allowed to collect dead and down wood for them. The "Friends of Sugarite" group also sells firewood at the Lake Alice campground for $3/bundle.
Sunday - Event Day
- Kids hike (terrain 2) and adults that choose not to do adults hike. Sax Man's wife will lead the kids along the Grande Vista Nature Trail. She would like a few other adults to go with her and help watch the kids. If you'd like to help, send me an email so we know how many people would like to do this hike.
- Adults hike (terrain 3-4) Sax Man will lead the adults up the Little Horse Mesa Trail. 8300 foot elevation and higher, has a steep section, so it may be unsuitable for kids, elderly, those with health concerns, etc).
- Geocaching Scavenger Hunt (No details yet, just wait!)
- Possible other events TBA
- Hamburgers and Hot Dogs provided by your hosts at the "awards ceremony". Bring a side dish to share so there's enough for everyone (potluck style).
Monday
- Go Home!
You can show up for the event at any time up to the dinner on Sunday night. We will be monitoring FRS channel 2 most of the weekend. We will have a logbook available to sign at dinner. For those with RV's that don't have reservations, I recommend arriving Friday to claim a camp-site. The group camping area has room for lots of tents, but only a few small RV's.
If you don't want to camp, there are several motels in the City of Raton. There is a tourist information center near N36 53.100 W104 26.400 (exit 451 west). There are some neat places to visit in Raton, we'll have packets for you when you check-in.
Here is some contact info for New Mexico and the Raton area:
For a free New Mexico Vacation Guide: www.newmexico.org.
1-800-733-6396.
Northeast New Mexico: www.NEnewmexico.com.
The Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway, Dry Cimarron Scenic Byway, and Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway: www.byways.org.
Raton Chamber: www.raton.info
New Mexico State Parks charges a fee of $4 per vehicle each day you use the park. If you show up for Sunday only, you will only pay $4. (Annual passes are $20 and include access to all New Mexico State Parks)
If you choose to camp, your day-use fee is included in your camping fee.
Camping fees are $8 for undeveloped sites, $10 for developed sites (with a picnic table and grill), $14 for RV's with electric hookup (limited spaces available, reserved in advance).
These fees are all per vehicle, not per person. If you would like to carpool with someone, that will help with keeping the vehicle count low. We have a limited number of parking spaces available at event HQ.
The group camping area has plenty of room for tents. Other campsites (in the Soda Pocket Campground) are first-come, first-served and includes non-geocachers. If you want a "private" campsite, plan to show up Friday or early Saturday to claim one. There are 24 individual campsites in the Soda Pocket area.
If you have an RV and want electric hookups at your campsite you should make your own reservations. Memorial Day Weekend does get crowded at many campgrounds, and some run out of space, so make that decision early.
This revision does not include everything for the weekend yet. Please continue to make suggestions to help us put on an event you will enjoy. Email suggestions to Team GPSaxophone (through our profile link at the top of this page) or post them in the Summer Campout Cache Event thread in the Groundspeak forums (West and Southwest area)
If you are interested in volunteering your time (or talents) with anything related to this event, send an email to me.
The above info is subject to change as plans are finalized. Check this page as the event nears for changes.
Please log a note to this cache if you plan to attend and tell me how many are in your group, what kind of camping (tent/RV) you are planning, and when you're thinking of arriving. Thanks
POTLUCK LIST
Team GPSaxophone: Hamburgers, hot dogs, paper plates, and napkins
Tim&Char: Corn on the cob cobettes, butter, Salt & Pepper
Team GeoHoy: Cookies and/or Brownies
JBAndersen: Hamburger buns and a jar or two of pickles.
Zoltig: Potato and macaroni salads
CarleenP: Chips
Caseydenise: a few cases of soda, ice tea, lemonade,
and a few beers for the older ones.
DPlugge: beans
Bons: Syoysich sausage
Starman99: two or three watermelons on ice
naldo and catlady: posole
Team360: chicken, Smirnoff Ice, and Absolut
Albuquerquebill: gourmet olives
THE GUMPS: S'mores