Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument offers a glimpse of the homes and lives of the people of
the Mogollon culture who lived there from the 1280s through the early 1300s. The surroundings
probably look today very much like they did when the cliff dwellings were inhabited. It is
surrounded by the Gila National Forest and lies at the edge of the Gila Wilderness, the nation's
first designated wilderness area. This designation means that the wilderness character of the area
will not be altered by the intrusion of roads or other evidence of human presence.
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, containing 533 acres, was established on November
16, 1907. Administration of the monument was transferred from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture to the U.S. Department of the Interior on August 10, 1933. In the spring of 1975, the
National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service signed a cooperative agreement whereby the
Gila National Forest is responsible for administration of the monument.
- VISITATION:
- About 54,000 annually.
- LOCATION:
- Forty-four miles north of Silver City, New Mexico, on Highway
15.
- ADDRESS:
- Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Route 11, Box 100
Silver City, NM 88061
- TELEPHONE:
- (505) 536-9461 or (505) 536-9344
- OPERATING HOURS, SEASONS:
- Memorial Day to Labor Day, the monument is open 8:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m., and visitor center is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The
rest of the year, the monument is open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,
and the visitor center is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- CLIMATE, RECOMMENDED CLOTHING:
- Mild climate, with rainy season July to August. Spring and
Fall have moderate days and cool nights. Winter months often
have nice afternoons with cold mornings and nights.
- DIRECTIONS:
- Take State Highway 15 from Silver City. Travel time is
approximately two hours. An alternative route from Silver City
goes through the Mimbres Valley. It is less windy, easier to
travel, and takes about the same amount of time as State Highway
15. However, it is 25 miles longer.
- TRANSPORTATION:
- No public transportation.
- FEES, COSTS RATES:
- Camping: No fees.
Gila Cliff Dwellings entrance: $3.00 per person for ages 8 and older.
- FACILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES:
Visitor Center/Exhibits:
- Museum, visitor center and contact station located at the
monument.
- Trails, Roads:
- Adjacent Gila Wilderness and Gila National Forest has over 1490 miles of wilderness
hiking and riding trails.
- Programs/Activities:
- Guided tours of the monument available, with prior
arrangements. Summertime campfire programs also available.
- Lodging and camping facilities:
- Lodging available in Silver City, Mimbres, Gila Hot Springs
and Pinos Altos. There are four Forest Service campgrounds in
the area, and a commercial trailer park at Gila Hot Springs.
- Food/supplies:
- Silver City, or the nearby community of Gila Hot Springs, has
a convenience store that sells gasoline and camping supplies.
- Other Concessions/NPS-Managed Visitor Facilities and
Opportunities:
- The visitor center is jointly operated by the U.S. Forest
Service, and the National Park Service. It has a small
interpretive museum and sells books, posters, videos and
postcards related to the Mogollon culture and surrounding Gila
Wilderness. Opportunities for camping, horseback riding, fishing
and hiking in the Gila Wilderness surrounding the monument.
- Accessibility:
- Trail to the Past is handicapped accessible (for viewing of
pictographs) as is the visitor center. Because the 1-mile loop trail
through the cliff dwellings is steep in places and winds to and
through cliff dweller canyon, it is not considered accessible.
- Special Needs:
- Call ahead for winter road conditions and hours of operation.
Wear shoes suitable for hiking the cliff dwellings trail.
- RESERVATIONS/PERMITS:
- None required, except for guided tours.
- BASIC VISIT RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Call ahead for winter road conditions. State Highway 15 is a
narrow, mountainous, windy road, and is not plowed for snow on
weekends or at night. Trailers over 20 feet must take an
alternate route on Highway 61/35. Travel time from Silver City
can be two hours. Visitors for the monument trail must wear good
footwear with substantial soles, as the monument trail is a
natural path and steep in places.
- SPECIAL EVENTS, PROGRAMS:
- In the summer, campfire interpretive programs are offered on weekends. Tours are
provided for school groups, by reservation only.
- ADJACENT VISITOR ATTRACTIONS:
- Gila Wilderness has hiking trails, and over 1490 miles of
trails.
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- Call Wilderness Ranger District at (505) 536-2250, 536-9461,
or 536-9344. These last two numbers are also the numbers for the
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
______________________________
Last Updated:Thursday, 18-Jun-98 12:48:48
http://www.nps.gov/gicl/
