Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

Overview

For thousands of years, groups of nomads used the caves above Cliff Dweller Creek as temporary shelter. In the late 1200s, people of the agricultural Mogollon (Southern Ancestral Pueblo) culture made it a home. They built rooms, crafted pottery and raised children in the cliff dwellings for one or two generations. By approximately 1300, the Mogollon had moved on, leaving the walls behind.

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

The Roosevelt connection

Protected by T.R.

• November 16, 1907: as President, Theodore Roosevelt set aside Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. Mogollon homes built into cliff caves above a fork of the Gila River. The proclamation called them 'the best representative of the Cliff-Dwellers' remains of that region.'
  presidency.ucsb.edu · web.archive.org · Roosevelt’s Public Lands

His proclamations and orders

• November 16, 1907: Proclamation 781, “Establishment of the Gila Cliff-Dwellings National Monument, New Mexico.” Today’s site began with this document. Now 533 acres in two units; the only park system unit with Mogollon sites.
  Proclamation 781 in Theodore Roosevelt’s Executive Orders and Proclamations

What to see and do

Activities

• Astronomy
• Stargazing
• Camping
• Car or Front Country Camping
• Food
• Picnicking
• Guided Tours
• Self-Guided Tours - Walking
• Hiking
• Backcountry Hiking
• Front-Country Hiking
• Horse Trekking
• Horse Camping (see also camping)
• Horseback Riding
• Junior Ranger Program
• Wildlife Watching
• Birdwatching
• Park Film
• Museum Exhibits
• Shopping
• Bookstore and Park Store

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument: The National Monument and Visitor Center are open all year and are closed only for Thanksgiving Day (the 4th Thursday of November), Christmas Day (December 25) and New Year's Day (January 1).

Getting there

Passenger vehicles can drive north of Silver City, New Mexico to the monument on NM Hwy 15. The 46 mile trip can take up to two hours due to the narrow and mountainous curving nature of the road. RVs and vehicles pulling trailers should NOT use NM Hwy 15. From Silver City, take US Highway 180 to Santa Clara. Turn left onto NM Hwy 152 and drive to San Lorenzo. At San Lorenzo, turn left onto NM Hwy 35 and follow it to its termination at NM Hwy 15. Turn right on NM Hwy 15 and follow signs to the park.

Visitor centers

• WNP Park Store
• Gila Visitor Center

Campgrounds

• Upper Scorpion Campground (12 sites)
• Lower Scorpion Campground (7 sites)

Weather

Weather is extremely variable. Summers are usually around 90° F. but approach 100° F. Winters have occasional snow or temperatures near 0° F. Thunderstorms are common in the summer and early fall, usually in the afternoon. https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=33.2296&lon=-108.2639#.YUX0_SuSmUk

Phone: (575) 323-2904

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

Pair it with

• Gila National Forest USFS · 7 miles
• Apache National Forest USFS · 59 miles
• Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area BLM · 71 miles
• Cibola National Forest USFS · 81 miles
• Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument BLM · 86 miles
• Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge FWS · 89 miles