New Mexico

Monuments: Aztec Ruins National Monument, Bandelier National Monument, Capulin Volcano National Monument, Coronado State Monument, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, El Malpais National Monument, El Morro National Monument, Fort Selden State Monument, Fort Union National Monument, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Jemez State Monument, Lincoln State Monument, Old Spanish National Historic Trail, Petroglyph National Monument, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, Santa Fe National Historic Trail, White Sands National Monument

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument offers a glimpse of the homes and lives of the people of the Mogollon culture who lived in the Gila Wilderness 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.

Hiking in the Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness areas are popular activities in the area. There are several popular hot springs in the area. The closest, Lightfeather, is a twenty minute walk from the Visitor Center. The most popular is Jordan,a 6 or 8 mile hike from the Visitor Center, depending upon the trailhead used.

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
HC 68 Box 100
Silver City, NM
Phone: (505) 536-9461
www.nps.gov/gicl

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