Episode 58 – You can also listen on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google podcasts, and Amazon Music

Photos from corkinslodge.com

About the Episode:

Bunny and Maresa talk about the beauty and escape that is Corkins Lodge. Corkins Lodge is a private mountain retreat located in Chama, NM and features 10 well outfitted individual cabins with endless amenities.

Corkins Lodge 
I Love New Mexico blog page
Bunny’s website
I Love New Mexico Instagram
I Love New Mexico Facebook 

Original Music by: Kene Terry

Featuring:

Maresa Thompson

Maresa is the Marketing Director for Corkins Lodge and creator/owner of Constellation Creative. She is a big fan of New Mexico and Chama!

Bunny : (00:00)
Hi there. I’m Bunny Terry, and you’re listening to the I Love New Mexico podcast. Whether you’re a native new Mexican, who’s lived here for your entire life, or you’re just considering a visit, this episode is for you. Join us as we share a lot of New Mexico stories, talk about all things New Mexico, and include topics like what’s magical here, where you ought to visit, what’s happening, and the things you absolutely cannot miss in the land of Enchantment. We’re excited that you’re here, and we can’t wait to show you what an amazing place New Mexico is, because let’s face it, I love New Mexico. I know that all of us, especially those of us who get to live in New Mexico full-time, have favorite spaces and places in the state. And today we get to speak with somebody who is connected to Corgan’s Lodge, which is near Chaa. And, um, I’m, I’m excited to talk to you, Marisa, today because this is a place that I visited as a child, and, um, I wanna hear more about what’s going on. So folks, um, Marisa Thompson from Corkin Lodge. Marisa, tell us who you are and tell folks what Corkin Lodge is.

Maresa : (01:26)
So I act as the, um, marketing director for Corkin Lodge. And Corkin is really one of the best kept secrets in New Mexico. There’s, um, I think a handful of very, very loyal fans who know about it, but it’s basically having a private national park all to yourself. Um, and there’s, uh, 10 cabins, individual cabins, and you cook your own food there. We don’t have restaurants. It’s kind of remote, but you have 750 acres of pristine land to hike, and some of the best fishing and fly fishing in New Mexico is there. So I really think it’s one of the best kept secrets in New Mexico.

Bunny : (02:11)
So, um, we always wanna let people know who, uh, we, we wanna assume that not everybody has spent as much time in New Mexico as we have, and we have listeners from all over the world, which is pretty exciting for us. But explain to people where Chaa is in terms of, um, geo Geographic area and where it sits. I mean, I, um, you know, where it sits in and, and what the topography is like around it.

Maresa : (02:42)
Yeah, so trauma is in Northern New Mexico. It’s actually about an hour, 45 minutes to an hour away from Pagosa Springs, Colorado. So it’s, it’s almost like a lot more, um, what you would think of Colorado landscape. Very, um, amazing majestic mountains, a lot of, you know, really tall pine and sycamore trees. And it does, um, sit, um, uh, uh, Corgan’s Lodge is about 7,500 feet, so we do have to warn people about altitude when they get there. If you’re not used to being that high. Um, we recommend you take, drink lots of water and take some altitude, um, steps. But the, the land that Corkin is on, um, is on among the oldest rock formations in North America. It’s, um, right, it includes the Brazos Box Canyon, which is a 200 2500 foot deep canyon. Um, it’s three times deeper than the Rio Gang Gorge. Um, and there’s a hike in Corkin that you can go there. And, um, you know, the rock formations formed about 250,000 years ago, so it’s some of the most, um, Ignatius rock, uh, cliffs that you can see in New Mexico, and there’s really amazing hiking there.

Bunny : (04:09)
So I wanna be sure that folks know that if they’ll log onto our website at, um, I love New Mexico blog.com. We’re gonna have some pictures because this is almost impossible to talk about. It’s almost impossible to convey in a conversation how majestic the Brazos Peaks are. And you’re, as I recall, very close to, um, the Brazos Cliffs, right?

Maresa : (04:34)
Yeah, actually, um, in the spring, the, all of the water on top of the Brazos Cliffs comes out one shoot, and we are the closest to the highest waterfall in New Mexico. It’s a seasonal waterfall only in spring, but I think it’s one of the best times to come. ’cause it’s just amazing to see that much water shooting out of one tiny, narrow place. Um, and the Brazos Cliffs are just so majestic.

Bunny : (05:04)
So we used to have a house up at Heron, and when the, we, when there would be a moonrise, like the one we had last week, which was crazy, um, we would go, we would drive up on a cliff somewhere so that we could watch the moonrise over the brass. So I just wanna be sure that everybody gets a, an idea of what that looks like. But more than that, I, as I told you before we came online, um, Corkin has a long history and I went there as a child and I’m 62 years old, so I’m curious to know what the history of the lodge is.

Maresa : (05:44)
Well, we do have a really rich history. Corgan’s Lodge, uh, was founded in the 1920s, um, as a private fishing camp in Northern New Mexico. So we actually had, um, very famous by, by Phil Corkin Sr. Um, we had very famous people like Georgia O’Keefe come up to the camp, um, and, and fish there. So it’s, we’re almost, uh, we’re about five years away from our, um, hundredth anniversary serving, you know, just serving as a fishing and lodge camp, um, in ancient times. It, um, it was a, um, hunting ground, an elk hunting ground for our indigenous tribes in New Mexico. And, um, we still have some of the original structures, uh, that have of course been completely renovated, but we still have some of the original cabins and structures on the site. And it has passed through, um, several hands. But one thing special is we’ve had the same, um, manager there, um, and she’s, um, worked there, uh, for over 50 years. So she’s, Philo Martinez is very special to some of our guests ’cause she’s worked there since she was a teenager. Um, and, and she’s just part of our, our corkin landscape. So that’s something really special too. And today, what the ownership of Corkin is really focused on is the, um, preservation of nature of really preserving nature, letting nature be nature, letting the land be the land just as a national park. So it’s really a focus on stewardship these days.

Bunny : (07:29)
Wow, that’s so cool. And, uh, when you talk about 750 acres, I mean, do your guests have access to most of that? Or, I mean, how does, how does it work?

Maresa : (07:41)
Yeah, we have several hiking trails and, um, because we are so concerned about stewardship of the land, our hiking trails are private exclusive for guests. So at most you are sharing all of this wilderness with 10 other cabins. Um, and that’s probably the height of summer when we’re the most busy. Um, and fall and winter it gets, um, a lot more quiet. So you really have like a national park to yourself without the lines. And then we have several hikes now. The concern just to be, uh, let people know these are not walks in the woods. They are really intense, um, vertical heights that involve, um, you know, some bouldering, um, climbing over rocks, things like that. So it’s, it’s, it’s hiking for the Hardy. Um, but you have, um, amazing hiking trails. One goes all the way to the box canyon, and then you have access to 2.5 miles of the Brazos River for private fishing. So as I know, fishers really like this kind of private exclusive, so 2.5 miles of this is yours privately to come and fish. So that’s real special for Fishers.

Bunny : (08:55)
And, and I would say, um, you know, because we all have really busy lifestyles that you also can just sit on the porch and read a book, right, ?

Maresa : (09:05)
Absolutely. That’s one of the best things to do. Um, just to be surrounded by giant trees everywhere to see the chipmunks and the geese and the turkeys, the wild turkeys. And sometimes we have a bear roam through. Uh, there’s always tons and tons of deer everywhere. It’s just really peaceful up there and it’s a way to really, I use it as an unplugged, uh, vacation to, to get away from screens, the phone, the email, the constant kind of turned on lifestyle we have. And really just connect with yourself and connect with nature.

Bunny : (09:46)
And, and just so people know, I mean, there’s, when we would go to Heron, I mean, we could always run into Chama and have a meal if we didn’t wanna cook or run to Pagosa Springs, which is really fun. Can you talk a little bit about what, what people can do in both of those places?

Maresa : (10:03)
Oh, yeah. Um, so we are about 15 minutes away from, um, Chama. And in Chama, the most famous thing, of course, is the KBA and Toltech Scenic Railroad. Um, my favorite time on that is fall. Yes. And my recommendation of that is there’s a halfway route that can be like a day trip. So you can go, you can go the halfway and then they, they bus you back to Chama or you can spend the night in San Anto in Colorado. And I think the second half of the trip on the train is really the most beautiful. You’re on these steep, steep cliffs. Um, and it’s worth doing the second half as well, um, which would require just one night in San Antonito. So that’s CHAM’s most famous attraction. It is a, um, it is a steam train, so train buffs really like that. It’s, it hearkens to an older time of a steam train engine. And then there’s several other, you know, amazing, um, road trips. It’s about an hour and 15 minutes to Pagosa Springs. And of course they have world famous hot springs and a lot of touristy attractions and destinations, so that makes a really lovely day trip as well.

Bunny : (11:17)
And that’s a beautiful drive.

Maresa : (11:19)
Oh, yes, yes. I think a, a lot of the drives in Northern New Mexico are just stunning.

Bunny : (11:24)
Well, of course, I mean, just the drive from Santa Fe to Chama is stunning because you get to go through ABA Q and, um, I’m trying to, I, I can’t even think of the names of all those canyons that you go through. But, um, I, I will also say that there’s, there are great places to eat in Chama. We were always happy, um, to get in there and, and, and find a great place to eat. But I’m, I was interested to hear you say that the second half of the ber and Toltech ri I’ve only ever done up to the top of the pass, had lunch and came back. And so, so now I’m gonna have to go and do that. I’m gonna have to go and do the overnight to San Anto. Uh, not San Antonino, just Antonino, right?

Maresa : (12:10)
Yeah, Anton. Yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s a beautiful, I I was surprised that the second half is really the most spectacular there and there is amazing dining and Chama. Uh, we have links to, um, the visitors bureau on our website to check out all the places. Um, one little tip is, is call ahead because, and staffing with places, as you all know, post covid have been a little tenuous. So, so if you’re really, if your heart’s really set on someplace, make sure and call them just to make sure they’re open and, and double check their hours. But it’s, you know, for a 15, 20 minute drive, you can go get a great lunch or dinner there. Um, but really we think cooking your own meals and sharing, uh, with your family there is really great. And each cabin has a gourmet grill outside. Wow. Really? Yeah. Really and really great grills. And we have full kitchens. Every kitchen has an oven, a microwave, stove, refrigerator, everything you’d need in the, in the nor and well appointed with a lot of utensils and pots and pans and things like that.

Bunny : (13:18)
So my question is, because I, I have a picture in my mind of what it was like when I was, you know, eight years old and went there. Um, is this rustic, are we roughing it? Or what, what are the cabins like now?

Maresa : (13:32)
Um, they’re more on the, the rustic luxury side. . So you, okay, I like

Bunny : (13:36)
That. I like that term. Yeah,

Maresa : (13:38)
Yeah, yeah. We have, you know, very comfortable mattresses. We have pendleton blankets on all the beds. Um, every cabin has either a wood-burning stove or a fireplace and making and stocked with firewood, um, and fire starter, everything you need to make a fire. So making a fire is part of the really fun experience. And it will, you know, in cooler nights, it will heat your cabin. Um, and the cabins are well appointed with, you know, everything you need in the kitchen, lots of towels in the bathroom. We have these amazing wooden showers that are completely wooden with a rock floor, and they’re just, you’re surrounded by wood, the cabins are wood from floor to ceiling, and it’s, and then you’re in the woods . So it’s a very wooden experience and really, uh, is, is an interesting, um, experience to stay in that much wood in the woods.

Bunny : (14:37)
Wow. As well, as I recall. It’s very soothing. Um, and are they all one bedroom? How does it work?

Maresa : (14:45)
Oh, no, we have, um, three, three bedroom cabins. Oh. And then, um, we have I think, uh, 2, 2 2 bedroom cabins. And then we have one bedroom and studio cabins. So I like to do Corgans as girlfriends, getaway trips. , I have one planned in October, . Um, it’s really fun to get, or, or family reunions, you know, reunion, it’s really great to go as a group there. Um, rent out several cabins or some of the larger ones, like our largest cabin sleeps 10, so Wow. Okay. You can get 10 people into our largest cabin, which is the log log house. And it’s two stories and with two bathrooms. Um, and, and it’s really fun to go as a group, but if you, it’s also very romantic. If you just want a, a tiny cabin vacation for a romantic getaway and just to kind of connect with your loved one up there, it’s, it’s perfect for that as well.

Bunny : (15:43)
Well, so I haven’t been since I was a child, but my parents who celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in May used to sneak away and go there, um, even as recently as maybe eight or 10 years ago. And so Corkin holds a really special place for me because of that. My dad just passed away like three weeks ago. And so when I think about it, I think about them like leaping in the car when, when whatever business they were, they were entrepreneurs. So whatever business they had going at the moment, they would say, uh, we’re going away for three or four days. And in fact, one time they came to see us in Santa Fe and said, uh, we’re gonna be gone for a while. And they drove right up to Corkin. And I don’t, and now I would never recommend this to somebody now, but I, you know, I think in the last, you know, 25, 30 years, they sometimes just drove up hoping that they could get a place to stay. And almost always at, in that, in, at that point in time, they were able to spend a couple of nights. And it’s so sweet to think of them doing that. It was re really, really special to them.

Maresa : (17:00)
Well, I’m so very sorry for your loss, and we have to get you and your mother back up there.

Bunny : (17:06)
I, it would be such a treat. I would love that

Maresa : (17:09)
Trip. Yeah, we’d love to host you. It’s, you know, it is, it’s it, once you go there, you see it, it is too hard to describe. You know, we have this beautiful fishing pond that’s right below the cliffs. We have benches all around it. You can just sit and watch the sunset, um, and, and, you know, watch people fish. And it’s a multi-generational place where we see grandfathers teaching grandkids how to fish, which is just so, uh, beautiful to see. So I’m glad your parents had a very special love for that. And

Bunny : (17:44)
Oh, they did love to have you

Maresa : (17:45)
Back.

Bunny : (17:46)
They did. And I, now, my husband is an avid fly fisherman, so I wanna hear a little bit about the fishing, because I know there are people out there that are really interested in that.

Maresa : (17:57)
Well, again, we were founded as a fishing lodge in the twenties. So right. Fishing has been core to Corgans, um, from its founding, and it’s really some of the absolute best in the, in the state. So of course, the Brazos River is one of the best fly fishing spots. Um, and I think we’re coming in into season now. We do have a portion of the river that is catch and release only. Again, that’s, that’s our kind of nature preserve portion. Sure. We have other portions where you can catch and then bring it back, put it on your grill, have the fish you just catch caught for dinner. Um, which is something special a lot of people do. And then we also have a stocked fishing pond on site, which is, um, stocked with trout, rainbow trout. And it’s the place where it’s, if you’re learning how to fish, well it’s stocked with fish made for you . So it’s really easy to catch something in our pond. And it’s a good learning, you know, for, for younger kids who are learning how to fish too. It’s really fun just to sit there and, and fish in the pond as well.

Bunny : (19:05)
So that’s how I learned to fish because we always would have our vacations in Northern New Mexico mountains. Um, and, and it seemed that we would arrive at the moment that they were stocking the, I mean, I remember just dropping my hook in the water and a and getting a fish immediately, which is pretty thrilling when you’re a little kid. Um, well, I, we have to do that. We absolutely have to come up and go fishing because, um, I don’t know. I’m not very good at fly fishing and my husband is, is really good at it. So we’ve gotta come up there and give that a shot. I, my, are you there? I mean, is the lodge open all year? Is it year round?

Maresa : (19:50)
It is year round. We only have, um, we have about half the cabins open in winter, ’cause the other half are not winterized. You have to keep them with a wood-burning stove. So we don’t make guests heat. The other ones we have winter eyes, they’re insulated and they have heating. Um, and it is amazing. In winter you can go cross country skiing and snowshoeing up there, so, well,

Bunny : (20:14)
That’s a workout. Holy mackerel.

Maresa : (20:16)
Yeah. Yeah. And especially at 7,500 feet, that’s the other thing to remember, hiking, any kind of exercise might wear you out a little bit more. I, I’m based in Albuquerque, you know, which is 5,000 feet, but going, I can still feel it the first, first day or two. The other thing to know about Corins is we have a two night minimum. It is not a one night, you know, oh, no. Driving go out. I, I really recommend three nights and we’re just about to launch a promotion. Uh, uh, buy three, get one free. Wow. So you can, you can stay for four nights for the price of three. We also have a perennial, uh, promotion for New Mexico residents. ’cause we live in, in New Mexico and love New Mexico. And New Mexicos are our number one, uh, visitor up there. And you can always, um, in winter, in, in autumn through spring, you can get 15% off for just being a New Mexico resident. And we also have a 20% off promotion right now, uh, through October. Um, because we’re trying to get people up to see leaf peeping. There are groves and groves of aspens up there, and they turn the most beautiful butterly buttery yellow. It’s really magnificent to, to see the colors changing. And there’s also a lot of red oak, so you do get the red and the yellow in the fall.

Bunny : (21:41)
I think that people don’t know that New Mexico has such a brilliant fall color in the mountains. I I think that people think, oh, I’ve gotta go to New England, but, but we’ve got it going on here in terms of fall color.

Maresa : (21:56)
Absolutely. And that’s when it, I think fall for leaf peeping and spring for the waterfall are two of our best times and we’re pretty much empty. Um, they’re not as popular. Don’t try to come in June or July. We’re, uh, we’re, we’re really booked solid, uh, through the summer August a little bit better. May is good. And then anything, um, like we’re in now, September through April is perfect time. And we do, we lower our rates and we have a couple specials. So when you’re ready for that kind of tree bathing experience, , if you’ve heard of tree bathing, the Japanese are, this Corgans is a perfect place to do it.

Bunny : (22:36)
I just did a podcast with a young woman who does forest bathing in Taos, and I thought that it meant we’re gonna get in the springs, you know, we’re gonna have to take our clothes off and get in the cold water, but she explained it. So, um, we’ll put a link to that website here too. But I, I want folks to hear who are maybe sitting in Phoenix or Houston or Palm Springs right now, where the temperature is over a hundred degrees. September’s a great time to come. The, I mean, the nights are chilly. It’s very, very, I mean, the weather’s perfect, right?

Maresa : (23:14)
Yeah. It starts to get really cool, I think now through October, in November, I was there last year and we had our first snow early in November, so we can never, you know, you can never tell what Mother Nature is gonna do, but it’s, the nights, it does get very cool. And the days will be in the low eighties, up upper seventies, the nights will drop down into the forties and thirties, and you’ll be glad you had a wood-burning stove to cuddle up by. Um, and the other thing is, we are a dark skies location. There are many times of the year you can see the Milky Way from the grounds. It’s, it’s because we also keep the, uh, exterior lights very low so that you can see the stargazing is really amazing there.

Bunny : (23:59)
And, um, paved roads all the way, right?

Maresa : (24:03)
No. Oh,

Bunny : (24:04)
Okay. close,

Maresa : (24:07)
Close up until the lodge. We’re at the end of the road. Um, you will, we’re before Chaa, you’ll see a road and there’s tons and tons of cabins and ranches and, and you’ll pass. This is a, a, a vacation spot for so many people to have timeshares. And at the very end is Corkin Lodge. And then we do have dirt roads, um, on the lodge property. We are not paved.

Bunny : (24:31)
They have,

Maresa : (24:32)
Yeah,

Bunny : (24:32)
Right. But the only thing that’s not paved is your, the drive into the lodge, right?

Maresa : (24:36)
Yeah. Just, just the drive into parking at your cabin, so, right.

Bunny : (24:41)
Yeah, that’s what I meant. I, I know that people will sometimes get in touch with me and say, you know, we’re gonna go here, but, and we’ve got this short-term rental up at the top of La Barbia, and I’ll say, just know the roads aren’t paved. So I want them to know access is really

Maresa : (24:59)
Easy. Yeah, I think that’s one thing. We’ve made it so that, um, you know, um, I have a close family friend who has a lot of health problems. He can still go up there with his family, sit on the porch, get down to the, the pond, and still enjoy time up there, even with mobility issues. So we, so all, all ages, all mobility issues. If you do have mobility issues, the hikes might not be for you, but there’s so much to do on the grounds. We have a outdoor, um, playground. We have bocce ball, we have tether ball, we have a game room with foosball and bumper pool. Like, there’s a lot of, um, enjoyment and fun and games that you can have. We also, you can also check out board games from our office as well.

Bunny : (25:48)
Well, Maresa, this has been so much fun because it brings back such nice memories for me. So I’m really excited that when we reached out to you, you said, oh yeah, we can visit because I, I love Corkin Lodge and I want folks to know that there is a link on our website, but for those who are just listening, um, can you give them the website for checking out the lodge?

Maresa : (26:12)
Sure. It’s Corkinlodge.com.

Bunny : (26:15)
That’s easy and

Maresa : (26:16)
Yeah, easy to remember. And, um, you can, we have all of our specials linked on there. You can see all the pricing and availability. And I really do recommend, you know, group trips up there. Particularly fun. Um, if you wanna reconnect with friends or family, that’s, that’s a great thing. Or if you just want a nature immersion and to, to get away from it all. Um, do know our wifi is a little spotty, which is why I encourage you. That’s

Bunny : (26:44)
Good.

Maresa : (26:44)
Don’t, don’t plan to know, don’t plan to do a bunch of Zoom meetings and work real hard because up there wifi we’re getting starlink, uh, very soon. But, uh, we don’t have that quite configured yet. So, but I kinda like it because, uh, I, I prefer to be unreachable at certain times. , I think it’s healthy. Right,

Bunny : (27:05)
Right. And we do need, I mean, we’ve gotta reclaim our attention on occasion. So this is a really great place to do it. And it’s beautiful and it’s fun.

Maresa : (27:15)
Well, we, we look forward to welcoming you and your mom and your husband, uh, for a fishing and hiking trip soon. We

Bunny : (27:22)
Would love to do that. Thank you so much, Marisa.

Maresa : (27:25)
Thank you.