We host groups. The Ojo is not a retreat center but a place where groups can find connection to the land. There are just very few places where you can be in the Bosque of New Mexico, let alone have the ability to camp here as a group! What kind of groups stay here? This is NOT the place to come to 'party'. We welcome groups that seek activities that help support the rejuvenation of the land. Check with the host to find out if your group is right for The Ojo lands. Whether studying with a storyteller just up the road, or coming from France for a deep vacation with a sweat lodge thrown in, we have hosted a wide range of visitors. The Hogan is simply a wonderful space for yoga or meditation or just plain serious (or not so serious) discussions and ruminations! Some choose to use the wonderful tipi to get focused or walk the labyrinth to do the opposite. Some people just come here to wander along the river, check out the various tracks from the night before or lay down in a cool pool of water. The Rio Ojo Caliente is a resource to humans and animals alike and through our land, even though upstream and down it goes dry, here we usually maintain a flow through the driest weather of June. Many species of birds are found here and the river brings in a number of waterfowl, from herons to ducks, at all times of year. Cooking, showers, wi-fi etc. are found at the pavilion. Here a full kitchen, dining area and room to relax out of the elements awaits visitors. The pavilion is a short walk over one of two pedestrian bridges and the trail is well lit for night time use. CHECK with host for availability! The Ojo is located in the heart of Northern New Mexico only minutes away from Abiquiu, Taos and Santa Fe. The Ojo offers a rare opportunity to camp in the Bosque of northern New Mexico. Our land is managed as wildlife friendly and we DO NOT allow pets. Over ten years there have been ZERO negative encounters between people and any animals that call this place home. The Ojo, our name for the land, is a sanctuary for animals who need this environment for their survival. Some of these animals are elk, coyotes, bobcats, beavers, many birds, and an amazing number of reptiles. The land has two sections, one which encompasses a lush riparian zone within a cottonwood/willow forest, a truly vanishing habitat. The other section rises up 1000' along the juniper covered slope of Black Mesa and offers a stark contrast to the lush valley floor. The beautiful and private Shadow Mountain Trail gets you to the top of this lonely mesa where the hiker is rewarded with stunning views of northern New Mexico. We have been restoring our 50 acres of Bosque for almost fifteen years now, by removing russian olive by hand, which is anything but easy, but helps preserve the fragile plant life that this tree has been stifling for fifty years or more. Russian olive is a highly successful and invasive thorny tree whose canopy of dense leaves gives the ground little sunlight and as a result chokes out most plant life. Observe areas here that have been gently cleared of this oppressive tree for ten years or longer and witness the vitality of the restored Bosque. The Ojo is bounded on the west by very beautiful 'badlands' with spectacular desert landscapes. This BLM land is truly wild and is a fragile ecosystem that is free of grazing animals and most other human impacts. A simple mile and a half loop trail has formed over the years that allows people to visit this place with little lasting damage to the otherwise pristine and delicate landscape. Our own trail system in the Bosque makes for easy travel to our sites such as the labyrinth and tipi and also along the right bank of the Rio Ojo Caliente. Camping here is really more like Glamping! The paviion handles a group with no problems, and contains plenty of refrigeration and a full kitchen. There is an indoor shower and a seasonal (April to October) outdoor shower. All groups who stay here also gain access to the Ojo Cabin which has its own private bathroom and sleeps two in a queen bed. Our toilets allow for composting of human waste and by keeping all of our food at the pavilion we eliminate potential conflicts between people and animals. Check out the cabin here on ABNB. We can provide some camping gear such as tents, pads and sleeping setups for a marginal extra cost. We want visiting wildlife to feel more at ease and by ensuring there are no pets or livestock on the land, we like to think this makes it easier for wild animals to visit. Most wildlife is quite shy, and only rarely do we see an elk or bobcat, but their tracks let us know they are frequently here. We have isolated our food preparation and storage to the pavilion and ask ALL guests to not prepare or store food outside of this space. Doing this discourages animals from being unduly attracted to the camping area, and this practice is one reason why there are few negative encounters with wildlife. Two dedicated pedestrian bridges cross the Rio Ojo Caliente, a truly wild river, and as such, is subject to occasional flash flooding in the rainy season. Floods that might jump the banks are often known to be coming long before they reach our land. And once these floods do enter the Bosque they spread out and are not in themselves life threatening. Please inquire if you think this Place might be right for your group!