COFFEE FUELS THE HIKERS’ REALM

Hikers Coffee Co. – Cimarron, NM
Hikers Cimarron Inn & RV Park. – Cimarron, NM

On a crisp, late spring morning, a gentle breeze caresses the far northern New Mexico town of Cimarron – where the plains meet the Rockies – and where less than 1,000 folks reside full time. Rising up almost directly from the outskirts of town, these mountains are home to the Boy Scouts of America base known as Philmont Ranch, with 140,000 acres to explore. The pristine Valle Vidal curls around the town, offering 101,794 acres of rarely trammeled wilderness. And the Vermejo Park Ranch, media mogul Ted Turner’s mountain retreat that caters to expeditions and upscale vacations, is a short drive away.

But for all of these glorious opportunities to get out and enjoy an outdoor adventure, one must first fuel up. That’s where the Hikers Coffee Company comes in. In a town with few places to slake a thirst or grab a bite, a pizza joint, a burrito express, a sit-down diner and a brewery tap room pretty much round out the options, a newcomer to the scene was welcomed.

Set in the homey, former Cimarron Art Gallery, visitors are drawn in with the friendly atmosphere, the rustic décor and the comfortable lounging areas that include couches and easy chairs. On the wall, a topo map depicting the Philmont Ranch and surrounding area provides a first-hand guide to some of the trail options. A kitschy Coke collection adorns several shelves.

Sisters Caitlin and Austin Warner, work behind the counter, serving up a Cimarron Latte, one of the four signature quaffs at the shop that includes a vast array of tasty, caffeinated choices. The Cimarron Latte is a mocha-based blend dosed with a pleasant blend of cayenne pepper. Yeah, just the thing to spice up a cool morning and provide the body with a jolt to send hikers on their way with a smile and a delightful little pep.

The Warners’ family-owned shop is relatively new to the Cimarron scene, but it has quickly made an impact. And across the street, the Hikers Cimarron Inn & RV Park is the place to stay with cozy rooms and suites, one of which sleeps five and a separate bunkhouse style casita that sleeps up to 10 and is a favorite with hunters and scouts, Steven Warner says. “This used to have bunk beds in it, which everybody thought was pretty cool until you had to try and change the sheets every day,” he says with a smile.

FROM THE SEA TO THE MOUNTAINS

The family’s odyssey from Houston to Cimarron started when two of the Warner’s children came to Philmont in 2014, an excursion on which Steven went along. “We came out to Philmont for a trek,” he recalls. “Then the following year, I came out with my son. And then our two oldest, twin daughters, they started working out at Philmont. So we started coming out here quite a bit.”

In 2019, the Warners made several trips to the area, bringing in their children as they worked and recreated in the area. “I bet we came out three or four times. And on the last trip, I had a calling. This was what I was to do. So I called Melissa (his wife) and then we kind of made a plan,” Steven says. “We sold everything, moved up here, bought a building, opened a coffee shop.”

That was in 2020, and, of course, the timing was not great as within weeks of the purchase, the pandemic swept across the world and in-person commerce stalled because of the lockdown mandates. But that actually turned out to be a good thing for the Warners as it gave the family time to remodel the storefront, figure out a rudimentary business plan, and decide how to go about doing this coffee thing.

It also meant that Melissa, as well as Caitlin and Austin, could live in the shop, doing so for about six months while Steven remained in Houston to pull in a few more paychecks. “I stayed back in Houston for another year to help pay the bills, but once I got my last commission check, I put in my notice and never looked back,” he says. “I did global logistics. I was a global account manager for oil and gas companies. So our company shipped oil-field equipment all around the world.”

ALL IN THE FAMILY

“I didn’t realize it at the time, but Caitlin’s always kind of had the dream of owning her own coffee shop; her and her sister,” Steven says. “They were always really good with the lattes and making the coffees. The fancy coffees, or the fru-fru, I call it.” Yes, but why turn to coffee to earn a paycheck? In Cimarron?

“I love coffee. Drink coffee. I’m like the coffee guy. But now I make it for a living,” Steven says. “It just hit me hard that we needed to come up here and open a Christian coffee shop. I recognize this town needed something. And being Christians, I mean, we just felt like it’s important to share our faith. We don’t run a ministry out of here, but we’ve certainly impacted a lot of people. A lot of people have impacted us. It’s not unusual for someone to come in here and they just feel the Spirit and they ask, ‘Can we pray?’ Yeah, please. We encourage that.”

What also is strongly encouraged is a dedication to the locals and visitors who see Hikers Coffee as that place to gather to gain the spirit to hit the mountains. It’s also become a hangout for locals as a comfy space to burn away a few hours enjoying a leisurely drink and talking with friends.

“Philmont is right down the road so we kind of wanted to do something that captured the feel of the area. And, well, what do people do when they go to Philmont? They hike, hike a lot. I think our treks were 70 or 71-plus miles over 12 days,” Steven says. “Even if you’re not a participant at Philmont, we have the Cimarron Canyon State Park where there are some nice trails up there.”

And Melissa chimes in, “You’ve got Elliot Barker (Trail Complex) just right up the road. Or if they really want something spectacular, the Valle Vidal, which is New Mexico’s best-kept secret. In fact, we don’t get to get out as much now, but that’s kind of our happy place. If you’re having a bad day or you’re kind of down, if you just drive up to the Vidal, it just takes it all away. We were just up there the other day. We, the girls and my dad, he was in town, and we got to see our first bear of the season. That was neat.”

So catering to adventurers just seems to make sense. “We just felt like Hikers, this was kind of catchy and it really did capture what happens in the mountains here,” Steven says. “We are a very outdoorsy family. Me, Melissa and the kids, we just love hiking. We did a 20-mile round trip to Wheeler Peak (New Mexico’s tallest point at 13,167 feet) last year. That was a challenge.”

HIKERS ADVICE

Given the vibe of the coffee house, it would seem natural that visitors would solicit opinions on where to tread. And expert advice is readily available. “We get a lot of that all the time, especially because our name is Hikers. So we direct them to the public places that you can go,” Melissa says. “And then, of course, every summer, Scouts will start showing up. And I mean, ever since we’ve opened we’ve experienced anywhere between 5,000 to 30,000 Scouts in the summer so the population in Cimarron grows significantly with the Scouts.”

As for that advice, “I guess it really depends on what they’re looking for,” Steven says. “One of the favorites is we send them to Clear Creek Trail up in Cimarron Canyon, just because it’s such a pretty and high spot, but there are a few rough spots. So if that’s not quite your thing, I think Maverick Campground is probably going to be the better choice because it’s an old road. So it’s not near as challenging. But if you’re really looking for something challenging, there’s Little Costilla Peak. There’s no marked trail. So you’re bushwhacking all the way.”

Steven adds that he enjoys Elliott Barker simply because of its solitude. “I think the one that gets forgotten all the time is Elliot Barker,” he says. “You get up there and it’s intimidating, but it’s a beautiful, beautiful area out there. You got Wilson Mesa and once you get up on that Mesa, you get a clear shot at Baldy Mountain. I mean, you’re just right there in God’s country.”

And for those folks who are simply looking to get out and see the sights without necessarily having to scramble along trails, Melissa says her favorite drive is a nearby excursion. “I’ll send people out to Dawson,” she says of the supposedly haunted ghost town that’s 17 miles away and was the site of two mining disasters in the early 1900s. “There’s just a little cemetery out there. Want to see the animals? There’s elk, bison, turkey, deer. That’s a good place. It’s a quiet place. Not necessarily a ton of hiking since it is a small, little area.”

HOME SWEET HOME, AT LEAST FOR A DAY OR TWO

A foot-long block of wood is embedded through the sign of the Hikers Cimarron Inn & RV Park, courtesy of a 1996 twister that wrecked 11 homes, five businesses, and injured five people, sending two to the hospital with severe injuries. While the Hikers Inn was undamaged, the impaled sign has become something of a local landmark, so much so that townspeople got concerned when the Warners were spotted tinkering with the sign while putting the new name on it. The sign even has a plaque to memorialize the event. But take it down, no way, Steven says. The marred sign is part of the town’s history, and there is not a chance the Warners wanted to mess around with that.

The multi-acre property, which includes 12 themed rooms of varying sizes, plus the two suites, also has space for 10 recreational vehicles and five tent sites. It offers economy lodging for skiers on a budget, hunters looking to be close to their quadrants, parents dropping off Scouts, and folks just passing through on the way to or from the nearby, vast, open spaces.

“It’s because of the nature of the area. A lot of it is turned over every night,” Steven says. “So you get a lot of one-night stays because a lot of times, Scouts come in and they’ll stay with us one day before they go on their trek. Now when the hunters come in or the skiers, they tend to book one week at a time which is really good. So we have a fair mix. We have a few people that have come and stayed with us in the RV park for the summer. We don’t encourage too much longer than that as we don’t do long term, but three months over the summer? That’s great. But we’re not really set up for long term. We’re more just come and go.”

Among the themes is the one-bed Aztec Mill Room, featuring photos of the Old Aztec Grist Mill. Construction on the mill began in 1860, and by the time it was finished four years later, it cost $48,000. A three-story building, it was built to fulfill a government contract to supply flour, cornmeal, and horse and cattle feed to Fort Union and the Indian Agency to feed the Ute and Jicarilla Apache. It operated until 1886 and was eventually turned into a museum.

The Will James Room is dedicated to the works and memorabilia of the renowned Western author and artist. The room is lined with oak floors with two queen beds. James worked at the nearby CS Ranch before a brief sojourn back East to attend Yale University. Additional rooms highlight skiing, hunting, fishing, Native Americans, and, of course, Philmont, a room that is popular with the Scouts. So much so that they often leave a troop badge, many of which are displayed in the room.

“I like sitting on the front porch and just watching the wind blow. I don’t like wind, maybe watching the breeze blow is better,” Melissa says with a smile. “But it’s just nice to sit out there and wait for our guests to come and meet different people. We meet a lot of different people. We got a lot of repeat customers. The unique thing about our spot is it’s centrally located, so whether you’re camping or staying in a room, you can walk to almost everything in town. And we get the best view of the sunsets. Of course, I’m sure they’ll all say that, but there’s not a bad view of the sunset and sunrise in Cimarron.”

Photos by Mike Sandoval  Editorial by Glen Rosales

Hikers Coffee Co. – Cimarron, NM
Hikers Cimarron Inn & RV Park. – Cimarron, NM