Cliff Dwellings Trail

This trail to the Gila Cliff dwellings is a one-mile hike with a small amount of elevation gain that provides intimate views into the former dwellings of native peoples that inhabited the area from the 1280s through the early 1300s. The cliff dwellings are situated approximately half-way up the south-facing cliff and one can imagine the area full of people grinding corn, preparing skins, talking, playing, and carrying out the many daily activities of life. The trail along the cliff dwellings is not shaded, so one can warm up on this part during the winter, and cool off in the summer as one enters the shaded dwellings. Nice views are obtained from the dwellings. Ranger-guided tours provide a wealth of detail about the people who lived here in the past.

Hike data:

Controlling agency:

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument; hike web site

Location in the state:

Southwest; Gila

Trailhead waypoint(s):

GILACDTH

Elevation:

start:	5778ft; 1761m	end:	5778ft; 1761m
min:	5738ft; 1749m	max:	5961ft; 1817m

Elevation gain/loss:

341 ft; 104 m. All elevations from GPS.

Length:

1.63 mi; 2.63 km. Length from GPS track.

How long it took us (HH:MM):

02:18.

Cleanliness:

9/10. We saw one piece of litter on the whole trail.

Trail usage:

33.48 people/hour. We probably missed some people in the count. This trail is one of the busiest we have hiked.

Trail Condition:

Excellent

Fee:

$3.00. The fee is per person. You need exact change, which you can get at the nearby visitor center.

When we hiked it:

2005-12-30.

Trailhead facilities:

Water, toilets, picnic area. The water is at the nearby visitor center, not at the hike trailhead.

Special features of the hike:

History, wildflowers, scenery, geology.

When to hike:

All year. Snow may limit accessibility in winter. Call ahead if you are unsure.

General comments:

No dogs allowed.

Guided tours are offered; the time varies with the season. Check at the visitor center or trailhead for details.

Maps:

USGS 1:24000 Little Turkey Park
USGS 1:100000 Mogollon Mountains
USGS 1:250000 Clifton
Gila National Forest
Gila Wilderness

Getting to the trailhead:

From the town of Silver City, take NM 15 north. The road winds its way for a total of 44 miles, and a sign near the beginning notes that to get to the cliff dwellings may take as much as two hours. It took us about 1.5 hours. The sign also notes that trailers over 20 ft are not recommended. Given the road, we can second this note.

At about 24.9 of the 44 miles, you come to the junction with NM 35. Continue on 15.

At about 41.3 miles, a sign indicates the Cliff Dwellings to the left. After turning left, the road dead ends at the Cliff Dwellings Trail parking lot in about a mile.

If, instead of turning left you had gone straight, after about 0.5 mile, you reach the visitor center, where there are flush toilets and water. They can also make change for the fee for the Cliff Dwellings Trail.

The hike:

	You start across this bridge, which takes you across the west fork of the Gila River. Before you cross the bridge, get one of the trail guides. They are $0.50 if you want to keep it, or they have loaner copies that you can return at the end of your hike. After you cross the bridge and start up the trail, look to your right at the stream coming down the canyon. When we hiked, the stream completely disappeared into the gravel.
The trail climbs and dips, overall staying near the canyon bottom, and not far from the stream. Think back to the time of the Mogollon people, walking this canyon in the 1280s through the early 1300s.
	As you walk, you will begin to get a glimpse of the cliff wall to your right. In this cliff face, you can see a small shelter cave which was never occupied, as well as some interesting rock varnish.
Right before you begin climbing the canyon wall to get to the cliff dwellings, you get a view of where you will be in a few minutes.
	When you are most of the way up, this is the view back down the trail. The park service volunteer in this photo was heading off for his lunch break when I took this photo.
At the top of your climb, you head across the bottom of the cliff toward the dwellings. Parents, please do not let your children throw rocks. Remember, the trail is below.
	At the second cave (the one in the picture above), you can enter by going up the stairs.
Inside, you can see the ceiling blackened by residents who used the cave before the Mogollon people arrived.
	You also see this workroom.
The cave that you enter is the largest of the caves with dwellings, and the dwelling inside contains several rooms.
	This room has corn cobs on the floor. Presumably, it was a storage room? You need to look at the larger image (by clicking on the one to the left) in order to be able to see the corn cobs.
You can return to the trail either via this ladder or via the stairs that you used to enter the cave. Be sure to notice the view up the canyon.
	The trail next goes past this closed cave with a dwelling.
The trail begins to descend. First, you go down these stairs.
	The trail winds around the cliff as it descends. Eventually, you end up just above the river, and then back to the bridge to cross it.
Even though you are past the cliff dwellings, keep your eyes open for other, interesting sites. Since we visited in the winter, the ice crystals had made this walnut shell beautiful. The contrast in temperature was amazing---between two of the caves, it was warm enough that a guy was sun bathing with no shirt. Here, ice remains in the shadows into the afternoon.