Santa Claus is a trail camp at Philmont. It was a staffed camp until the mid-1990s. One of the main reasons it closed was because the well stopped pumping enough water to sustain a full staff. Untreated water can be found in the large tank in the middle of the meadow south of campsite 7. The area suffered during the 2002 Ponil Complex fire. In 2000, lightning struck one of the bear cables and exploded the bear bags on the line, leaving the trees charred from where the bear cables were attached.