Dining in The Backcountry

On their arrival and departure days, crews will eat meals in the dining hall. While on the trail, crews will pass through designated backcountry commissary camps every 3-4 days to pick up trail meals. Packaged in durable, recyclable plastic bags, these lightweight trail meals have been carefully developed to meet the dietary and logistical needs of backpackers at Philmont. Each meal bag feeds two people. In addition, most staffed backcountry camps have a “swap box,” where participants can leave unopened meal items or pick up additional items left recently by other crews.

On the trail, each 12-day crew eats a total of 30 unique meals (10 days in the backcountry x breakfast/lunch/dinner). Meal schedules and labels are determined by the calendar date, rather than a crew’s day on their trek (for example, every crew eats B1, L1 and D1 on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month; every crew eats B2, L2 and D2 on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd, etc.). Every trail dinner is a cooked meal; however, all lunches and most breakfasts are designed to be eaten while hiking, if desired.

Backcountry Cooking

Learn more about how to cook and clean in the backcountry on our Backcountry Cooking page

Allergies and Dietary Restrictions

Learn more about your dining options with allergies, religious food needs, or other dietary restrictions. You can view the most recent ingredient list for breakfast, lunch and dinner trail meals, as well as Chuckwagon and Abreu Dinner below. Trail meals are by necessity a high-carbohydrate, high-calorie diet rich in wheat, milk products, and sugars.  If an individual in your crew is allergic to some food products on our menu or requires a special diet, suitable replacement food must be purchased at home and brought to Philmont to replace those items. Philmont asks that food substitutions be made only for medical (including allergies) or religious reasons. All food shipped to the backcountry is subject to inspection to ensure the best delivery method. There is no fee reduction for individuals who bring their own food.

Packaging Substitute Items

On your arrival day, labeled substitute trail food items should be brought to Logistics staff. These items will be sent ahead for your crew to pick up along with your normal trail food at commissary camps along your trek.

Place substitute items in a plastic bag labeled with:
Participant’s Expedition #
Participant’s Name
The meal number**

Example
628-A
John Smith
Lunch 1

**Meal schedules and labels are determined by the calendar date, rather than a crew’s day on their trek (for example, every crew eats B1, L1 and D1 on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month; every crew eats B2, L2 and D2 on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd, etc.).

Purchase Trail Meals

Trail meal sales are over and will begin again in fall of 2024. Purchase surplus trail meals for shakedown hikes and other uses. Availability varies from season to season, with most being available in the fall.