Cliff Dwelling

Cactus-speckled deserts give way to windswept grasslands; soaptree yucca and ocotillo surrenders to juniper, pine, spruce and aspen. The Mogollon Mountains rise up without warning out of the vast and flat surrounding desert, cresting with magnificent monolithic sentries like the 10,892-foot Whitewater Baldy. Other magnificent mountain ranges within the forest include the Black, Tularosa, Elk, and Mimbres.

The 3 million acres of the Gila are at once tranquil and harsh. Appropriately, this is land where the fierce Apache, led by Geronimo, once roamed. Before the Apache, another band of Native Americans tried to carve out some sort of existence in the Gila's raw and intolerable landscape. The ruins at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument are a testament to the vanity of that effort. In this otherworldly terrain, any stay - - even yours - - can perhaps only be temporary.

Move on to GORP's Picks for Forest Fun

Return to Top

RELATED GORP LINKS
GORP New Mexico Resources
GORPtravel Adventure Vacations