About this episode

Stephanie shares her journey from a solo motorcycle trip to founding Cloudcroft Hostel in the New Mexico mountains.

In this episode of the Hostel Road Trip Podcast, we travel to the mountains of New Mexico to sit down with Stephanie, the founder of Cloudcroft Hostel — a rustic, community-driven mountain hostel perched at 6,700 feet in the heart of the Lincoln National Forest. What started as a solo motorcycle adventure across America in 1994 turned into a lifelong dream. Stephanie bought a dilapidated building on a hillside and spent five years restoring it by hand before opening Cloudcroft Hostel in 2006. Today, it stands as a beloved basecamp for hikers, bikers, and adventure travelers seeking connection and authentic mountain hospitality. In This Episode, We Talk About: How a solo motorcycle trip across America sparked Stephanie’s dream of opening her own hostel The five-year journey of buying and restoring a rundown building by hand Why she chose the high mountains of New Mexico as the perfect location Creating a safe, welcoming space especially for solo travelers and women adventurers What it really takes to run a small, independent mountain hostel for nearly 20 years Lessons on community, perseverance, and building something that lasts Located at 6,700 feet with 28 acres backing directly…

People in this episode

Hosts: James Black, Bobby Dyer

Guest: Stephanie

Topics covered

• motorcycle adventure
• hostel management
• community building
• travel
• New Mexico

Keywords

• Cloudcroft Hostel
• motorcycle trip
• New Mexico mountains
• community-driven
• adventure travel

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Cloudcroft, NM, New Mexico, Lincoln National Forest, White Sands National Park

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