Chris' Site

Welcome to Chris' Site, it's a site I've made about hiking and backpacking.

Make sure you have all these things with you when you go hiking.

STRING
Plain old string is one of those items that you always find a good use for, most of the time it just makes your trip more enjoyable and convenient, but once in a while it can save your life.

COOKING POT
A light weight pot with a lid or some other type of similar water container is a quite important thing to bring to be able to boil water in case of an emergency.

MULTI PURPOSE TOOL
Multi purpose tools are great things, you can do so many things with a good one.

FLASH LIGHT
Obviously you need some type of lamp when you go hiking overnight since it's overnight and it's dark at night. Bring a candle too in case modern technology fails you.

BACK PACK
The most important thing about a backpack is that it fits your back well. Don't pay a penny for the brand name, that's nothing but a scam anyway. There are completely unknown brands that are much better than the biggest brands in the industry.

CAMPSTOVE
For 50,000 years Homo Sapiens used burning wood to cook food and boil water when he went out in the woods, after all the woods were full of wood. Then some time about 50 years ago someone came up with the idea to make a portable gas stove, and bring fuel with him when he went to the woods. Maybe the dumbest idea of all time but it didn't stop every one else from doing the same. It's time for this insanity to stop, it's time to go back to wood. Throw away your gas stove and get a Stratus Trailstove, it burns wood, just like our ancestors stoves. It's made of modern materials using modern manufacturing methods so it's a lot smaller, lighter, and more durable than our ancestors stoves (the Trailstove weighs 14 ounces) but it works in exactly the same way as stoves used to cook mammoth meat worked.

TARP
Bring a small tarp with you to make a shelter from the elements.

HOW TO FIND WATER

Almost anywhere you go you can find water if you just go downhill, water flows in valleys and accumulates in depressions, it's all just gravity at work.

Look for different vegetation, greener vegetation far away often indicates the presence of water.

Look for a chain of uniform vegetation, this often means that there is a riverbed.

If the riverbed is dry there may be water under the ground, the best place to dig is by the largest plant you can find.

The steeper a slope is the lower the chance of finding water puddles.

Look for flocks of birds, they know where the water is.

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

Silver City, NM

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.

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.

CONTACTS

Email - GICL_Administration@nps.gov

Fax- 505-536-9461

Write to
HC 68 Box 100
Silver City, NM 88061

Phone
Visitor Information - (505) 536-9461
Visitor Information - (505) 536-9344
FaxRecorded Message - (505)536-9461

TRAVEL BASICS

Operating Hours, Seasons
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the cliff dwellings trail is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and the visitor center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The rest of the year, the cliff dwellings trail 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.

Getting There
CAR - Take State Highway 15 north from Silver City. Although the distance from Silver City is only 42 miles, the travel time is approximately two hours due to twisting and winding mountain terrain. An alternative route from Silver City is along NM State Hwy 35 and goes through the Mimbres Valley. It is less winding, easier to travel, and takes about the same amount of time as State Highway 15. However, it is 25 miles longer. We recommend Hwy 35 if your vehicle, travel trailer, or RV is over 20 ft in length.

BUS - We recommend Hwy 35 if your vehicle, travel trailer, Bus, or RV is over 20 ft in length.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - No public transportation.

Weather & Climate
Mild climate, with rainy season being from July to August. Spring and Fall have moderate days and cool nights. Winter months often have nice afternoons with cold mornings and nights.

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.

Getting Around
The cliff dwellings parking lot and trail head is about one mile from the visitors' center. We suggest driving or riding a bycicle, however many people walk the distance.

FEES/PERMITS

Entrance Fee
CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER
Free! for Annual

INDIVIDUAL
$3.00

MORE THAN FOUR ADULTS PER FAMILY
$10.00 for One Time

VISITORS 13 AND OVER
$3.00 for One Time

Local Passport
GOLDEN AGE, GOLDEN EAGLE, GOLDEN ACCESS, NATIONAL PARKS PASS, GOLDEN EAGLE HOLOGRAM
Free!

CAMPING

Forks Campground
Open All Year
The Forks Campground provides primitive camping opportunities along the West Fork of the Gila River. The Forks Campground is located approximately six miles south of the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument just off NM State Hwy 15 and just north of the Gila River Bridge. The only water available is from the West Fork and must be either filtered or boiled. No tables or grills provided. Four pit toilets are available on site. Camping is free of charge and is based upon a first come first served basis.

Grapevine Campground
Open All Year
The Grapevine Campground provides primitive camping opportunities along the West Fork of the Gila River. The Grapevine Campground is located approximately six miles south of the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument just off NM State Hwy 15 and just south of the Gila River Bridge. The only water available is from the West Fork and must be either filtered or boiled. No tables or grills provided. Two pit toilets are available on site. Camping is free of charge and is based upon a first come first served basis.

Lower Scorpion Campground
Open All Year
The Lower Scorpion Campground is located on the north side of NM State Hwy 15 and within 1/4 of a mile from the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument parking lot. The Lower Scorpion Campground offers developed campsites with picnic tables, grills, running water, and flush toilets. Camping at the Lower Scorpion is free and is based upon a first come first served basis. Also, from the Lower Scorpion Campground parking lot, visitors may access the "Trail To the Past". This trail accesses a two room cliff dwelling as well as some very interesting pictograph rock art. Trail to the Past is handicapped accessible (for viewing of pictographs only)

Upper Scorpion Campground
Open All Year
The Upper Scorpion Campground offers developed campsites with picnic tables, grills, running water, and flush toilets. Camping at the Upper Scorpion is free and is based upon a first come first served basis.

FACILITIES

Visitor Centers
GILA CLIFF DWELLINGS NATIONAL MONUMENT (CAVES AND CLIFF DWELLINGS)
Open All Year
Memorial Day til Labor Day 8:00am til 7:00pm
Labor Day til Memorial Day 9:00am - 4:00pm
Phone - 505-536-9461

GILA CLIFF DWELLINGS NATIONAL MONUMENT VISITORS CENTER
Open All Year
Memorial Day - Labor Day 8:00am - 7:00pm
Labor Day - Memorial Day 9:00am - 4:00pm
Phone - 505-536-9461
Exhibits - We offer a small museum of artifacts from the Cliff dwellings and the immediate surrounding area. We also have an Apache exhibit since the Apache people occupied the area for approximately 125 - 150 years after the Mogollon abandoned the cliff dwellings. We also offer a 15 minute video. Access to the visitor center and the video is free of charge.
Available Facilities - Comfortable handicap accessible male and female restrooms are available at the visitors center.

Some content donated by Hikercentral.com and the National Park Service

STRING		Plain old string is one of those items that you always find a good use for, most of the time it just makes your trip more enjoyable and convenient, but once in a while it can save your life.
COOKING POT		A light weight pot with a lid or some other type of similar water container is a quite important thing to bring to be able to boil water in case of an emergency.
MULTI PURPOSE TOOL		Multi purpose tools are great things, you can do so many things with a good one.
FLASH LIGHT		Obviously you need some type of lamp when you go hiking overnight since it's overnight and it's dark at night. Bring a candle too in case modern technology fails you.
BACK PACK		The most important thing about a backpack is that it fits your back well. Don't pay a penny for the brand name, that's nothing but a scam anyway. There are completely unknown brands that are much better than the biggest brands in the industry.
CAMPSTOVE		For 50,000 years Homo Sapiens used burning wood to cook food and boil water when he went out in the woods, after all the woods were full of wood. Then some time about 50 years ago someone came up with the idea to make a portable gas stove, and bring fuel with him when he went to the woods. Maybe the dumbest idea of all time but it didn't stop every one else from doing the same. It's time for this insanity to stop, it's time to go back to wood. Throw away your gas stove and get a Stratus Trailstove, it burns wood, just like our ancestors stoves. It's made of modern materials using modern manufacturing methods so it's a lot smaller, lighter, and more durable than our ancestors stoves (the Trailstove weighs 14 ounces) but it works in exactly the same way as stoves used to cook mammoth meat worked.
TARP		Bring a small tarp with you to make a shelter from the elements.