Expensive, Wonderful, Worth It.
Don't come here if you want to watch TV and lounge by the pool; there isn't a pool and the only TV is in the great room. Don't come here if you're squeamish about taxidermy mounts; there are dozens in every area and hundreds of photos of guests with their elk, turkey, grouse, deer, bison, bear, trout and the occasional mountain lion. Don't come here to experience the good and not-so-good of Chama, NM (which which I'm intimately familiar); it's a private realm far removed from the town.
DO come here for an almost unique hunting or fishing experience in a very traditional (fairly fancy) lodge on 37,000 acres of Jicarilla-owned, Anglo-managed mountains and forest, 20 minutes from Chama, completely pampered by friendly, experienced staff. We did it for 9 summer days, our 40th anniversary splurge. (My wife is worth it.) It was our first overnight stay, although I'd fished on the property (with the required guide) several times.
The cost in summer is $320/person/day, double occupancy, plus tribal tax and suggested gratuity of 20% of the base price. All meals are included, as is all alcohol (self-service bar) except truly premium brands. There are 7-8 fine dinner entrees available, with rotating sides and courses. You start supper with eight or so pieces of silverware and work your way through them. The rooms are fairly standard large lodge rooms with one notable addition: There's a decanter of brandy in every room. There's a great porch for sitting (and watching the deer & turkeys in the yard), a quiet library, a conference room, a huge game room (double entendre here) (billiards, foosball, darts, etc.), all in dark paneling and spotlessly clean. The exercise room has a three-stack universal, free weights, bench, stairmaster & bike, all next door to the spa & sauna. The 1-1/2-mile easy-hiking lodge trail is pleasant, with great views at 8200'. The main forest is too far for a hike, and mostly 8500-9500 feet elevation. A pickup tour (2+ hours) costs $200. You'll see lots of birds, other animals, views, flora, etc. The forest roads are VERY bumpy.
In summer, it's a fishing destination. Fishing is an extra $360/person/day (plus a Jicarilla tribal license, $40, and suggested guide tip of $100+), including the required guide and EVERYTHING you'll need for lots of fun and lots of trout at any level of piscatorial expertise, with no exertion unless you want it. The guide prepares your picnic lunch with tablecloth, real plates & silverware.
In the Fall, it's one of the premier elk hunting destinations in the world. We haven't done it (and don't hunt), but for those who do, the least expensive version is about $15,000/week, and once you hit an elk (wounded or killed), your hunt is over. For those looking for serious trophies, the guide will point out specially-tagged trophy elk in the 3000-acre inner trophy park that can cost north of $50-100,000 extra to shoot ('WAY north for a few). All hunts are guided, with prior safety program, and the guide will tell you when you can shoot. There are seasons for bear, bison, etc. This is an exceptionally well managed game and fish reserve; they know what they're doing for ecology and the animals. The waiting list for hunts is likely to be several years.
A long review, I know; we were very impressed. read more