There’s no doubt that Los Alamos residents have a long love affair with Camp May. I’ve heard some fairly interesting theories from friends and acquaintances over the years about why it’s called Camp May. One hypothesis was that it’s unusable until at least May. But while that might be true for some, Camp May’s proximity to the Pajarito Ski Area doesn’t suggest that’s the story behind the name.

Camp May is considered a Los Alamos Campground and is now managed by the county. Back when George and Edith May gifted a fine log cabin to the Los Alamos Ranch School, (which is how Camp MAY got its name!), the land where the cabin was placed belonged to the Forest Service. The Ranch School leased several parcels of Forest Service land for recreation areas. These recreation areas allowed the school to have and utilize base camps for outdoor activities like hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking, and weekend outfitting trips that would have otherwise been difficult to stage from the Big House at the main ranch.

Camp May was most popular with boys from the Spruce Patrol who were older and more experienced. Camp May’s location was higher in elevation than other ranch recreation areas. It saw more snow and more wildlife. You might say it was considered “rougher”. Which is why I find it so very interesting that Camp May was the location of Peggy Pond Church’s week long honeymoon with Los Alamos Ranch School Master, Fermor Church!

The sweet bride received a Colt six shooter and a holster as a betrothal gift and Fermor taught her to shoot on their honeymoon. Peggy’s writings include some thoughts about that experience. Not that she’d been angry or disappointed, but that she might’ve wanted something a bit “sweeter”. Evidently the loud hailstorm on the metal roof and the wood stove belching smoke into the cabin made for an unusual honeymoon. Imagine that! You can read more about Peggy and Fermor on the Los Alamos Historical Society’s blog HERE.

These days Camp May boasts 9 overnight camping sites, fairly modern restrooms, several large group gathering areas, and quick access to some of the best hiking and mountain biking in our area. The other thing Camp May is known for is fall leaves. It’s possible to get some gorgeous photos of colorful Aspen trees in the fall. And overnight camping is available April thru October. (See? You can visit Camp May before May!) If you’re looking for a fun family activity, try tent camping up at Camp May during the height of the changing leaves and get a beautiful holiday family photo to go with your fall break vacation! Camp May is a popular photo location for senior pictures and other major events too.

Something else you might not realize is that the location of Camp May played a big part in the placement of our local ski hills. In the late 1930s, Fermor Church’s nephew Herbert “Hup” Wallis used Camp May as a base to clear some land on Sawyer’s Hill and also on Pajarito Mountain for the boys to ski and sled. Eventually these clear cut areas were used by scientists on the Manhattan Project for winter sports. Of course, there’s no way Hup Wallis strapped explosives to the trees to blow up an area for a ski run. But I’m pretty sure Hup and his crew worked hard with their hands to clear those runs as the boys of the Los Alamos Ranch School did with everything else.

If you’d like more information about the history of skiing in Los Alamos, check out a previous post here. And when you’re ready to join our unique little community on the Pajarito Plateau, give me a call! I’m a hometown Los Alamos girl and I love to talk real estate in Los Alamos!