Protect the Camp That Built Generations of Leaders
For more than 50 years, El Rancho del Chaparral Girl Scout Camp has helped shape leaders—from public servants to business owners, educators, and advocates. Rising Trails NM is working to preserve this legacy and expand outdoor opportunities for New Mexico youth.
Since the 1970s, El Rancho del Chaparral has provided outdoor leadership experiences to thousands of New Mexico youth.
The Place That Helped Shape Generations
For more than fifty years, El Rancho del Chaparral Girl Scout Camp has been a place of discovery.
Located in the Jemez Mountains near Cuba, New Mexico, this camp has provided generations of girls with the opportunity to explore the outdoors, build lifelong friendships, and grow into confident leaders.
Here, girls learned resilience by hiking unfamiliar trails. They discovered independence beneath star-filled skies. They developed courage around campfires, surrounded by peers who would become lifelong friends.
El Rancho del Chaparral has never been just a camp. It has been a place where girls became stronger, braver, and more capable.
Today, we are working to ensure it remains that place for generations to come.
Our Mission
We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting El Rancho del Chaparral Girl Scout Camp and ensuring it continues to serve youth as a place of outdoor education, leadership development, and personal growth.
Our goal is to acquire the property and operate it as a youth camp, safeguarding its legacy while creating new opportunities for future generations across New Mexico.
This effort is rooted in one simple belief:
This camp deserves to continue shaping lives.
Why This Matters Now
El Rancho del Chaparral has served New Mexico’s youth since the 1970s under the stewardship of the Girl Scouts.
As priorities shift and resources are stretched, the future of this property is uncertain. The camp has already experienced the effects of deferred maintenance and reduced use.
Without action, this extraordinary place—and the opportunities it provides—could be lost.
We are working now to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Our organization is building the resources, community, and support necessary to protect and preserve this camp so it can continue serving youth for decades to come.
Our Vision for the Future
We envision El Rancho del Chaparral continuing to serve as a place where young people can:
Explore the outdoors safely
Develop confidence and leadership skills
Build meaningful friendships
Learn independence and resilience
Connect with nature in a lasting way
With community support, we will preserve the land, restore the facilities, and ensure camp remains a place of growth, learning, and belonging.
How You Can Help
Protecting El Rancho del Chaparral will require a community effort.
Monthly supporters provide the stable foundation needed to pursue acquisition, restoration, and long-term operation of the camp.
Your support helps ensure this place continues to serve youth—not just today, but for generations to come.
A Legacy Worth Protecting
Since its founding in the 1970s, El Rancho del Chaparral has welcomed thousands of girls from across New Mexico.
Each generation has left with something lasting: confidence, courage, leadership, and lifelong memories.
Together, we can ensure future generations have that same opportunity.
