February 6th -7th, 2018
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Silver City, New Mexico
37 miles North of Silver City New Mexico is the Gila Cliff Dwelling.
While staying up late one night during our stay at White Sands, Laura was peering over our atlas for possible routes and potential fun stuff to see before we had to had to be at our next farm. We didn’t do any research on what to do in Southwest New Mexico, but looking at a map there is a ton of public lands with the possibility of fun. One place intrigued us the most, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
Gila (pronounced Heela) Cliff Dwellings is only 37 miles North of Silver City, Nm, but it takes over an hour and a half to get there. The road up is narrow, winding, and with steep drop-offs inches off the road. The landscape is very different up the mountains of New Mexico. Pine trees, rivers, and the color green. It was actually a welcome sight after being in the desert these last couple of months… minus the colder weather.
Driving up to the mountains.
A view from up top. WOW!
Exploring the Cliff Dwellings
This National Monument was created to protect the Mogollon Cliff Dwellings in the Gila Wilderness on the headwaters of the Gila River. It was established in 1907 by Teddy Roosevelt through executive proclamation. The Mogollon(pronounced Ma-goy-yan) People lived in this region from around 1275 to the late 1400’s. They are believed to be descendants of Ancestral Pueblo People, who created the Mesa Verde Dwellings. However, while they are related to the Pueblo they have their own style of architecture and pottery.
If you are interested in learning more please check out these links. There is so much more to learn about the Mogollon Culture.
https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/pdf/mogollon_fact_sheet.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogollon_culture
https://www.desertusa.com/ind1/du_peo_mog.html
Time to learn about this place.
And maps too.
Learning about the Mogollan people who inhabited this land and how they created tools from what they could find.
For materials they couldn’t find around them, they acquired through trading. Apparently, Macaw feathers were found at several sights in the Southwest, a bird only found in Central America.
Pretty Cholla Cactus fruits outside the visitor center.
This is smaller museum closer to the cliff dwelling. It hasn’t been updated in a long time, but there is still great displays and information.
Minerals used to make dyes.
Uh oh
Trailhead
A nice volunteer guards the entrance to the trail that leads up to the dwellings. The dwellings are very fragile so every precaution is taken to ensure people protect and respect this place.
Getting Excited!
Gotta go up first. Interesting rock features up here.
Our first glimpse of the dwellings.
WOW WOW WOW. How cool is it to see homes that were lived in by first people long ago.
Pictured are two of five caves in Cliff Dweller Canyon. Archeologists have identified 46 rooms and it is believed that 10-15 families lived here at a single time. Archeologists believe it took several decades to make the dwellings and that they only stayed for a generation (40-50 years). It is unknown why they left these dwellings and the surrounding area.
This is one of the few dwelling sites that let visitors freely go into the rooms. A simple staircase takes one up.
Another volunteer monitors the rooms. While you are free to roam the rooms on your own, we would suggest taking a few minutes to talk to the volunteers. This is Saul. He officially volunteers for the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and he is very knowledgeable about the dwellings and its history. He was able to point out a few details we would have missed otherwise.
Saul has lived in the area most of his life so he knows it well.
Notice how black the ceiling is? That is remnants of smoke stains from ancient fires that were lit inside the caves.
Learning with Saul
A Narrow ledge leads to a grain storage room on the right. Using stones and adobe the rooms can perfectly form to the side of the cave wall.
A close-up detail of a wall. In some places, you can even see hand prints where the builders pressed in the adobe mud.
Birdseye view.
Some of the walls are pretty deteriorated. Be careful where you step. It’s a federal crime to damage any of the sites.
Not a bad view.
Long logs of pine were used to reinforce the walls. All that remains is the hole where the log once rested.
Vally View
The way to get down and out is by ladder. Just as the Mogollon People did.
Back down.
Last looks before we head back down. What an amazing place! A testament to the ingenuity and skill of the Mogollan People. We feel embarrassed that we know so little about the first people who lived in our country. Having stepped foot in their home has definitely stoked our excitement to learn more, especially when it comes to better respecting our resources and land.
Next Trail! about a mile up the road from the “Big Cave” dwellings.
Pictographs!
Another smaller dwelling. This one was made under a large rock overhang.
Small door. Notice the lintel at the top of the door frame. A smart way to disperse/balance the weight of the stones above the door opening.
Inspecting some rocks.
A much smaller dwelling. Be careful getting in and out!!!
Enjoying one more short hike to enjoy the surrounding landscape.
Still an arid landscape typical of deserts, but at a much higher elevation with cooler temperatures.
Hey Deer!!
Hotspring Time!
This region has lots of hot springs. Several can be hiked to and enjoyed for free and in solitude. We, however, found a place just outside the park that only charged five dollars a person to soak in maintained hot springs. We were also in need of a shower/cleaning so we couldn’t pass up the chance to soak in some hot water in this beautiful area.
A small farming and resort community is home to some hot springs.
Part campground, part day use soaking.
It’s a pretty humble setup, but we pretty much had the place to ourselves.
3 pools in total. This one had a little waterfall… very zen.
Feels so good after a day of hiking. So peaceful and relaxing.
Nice view too. It can’t be seen from here, but the Gila River flows by to the left.
On our way out we passed by a small goat farm.
With lots of babies. Some of them were very “fresh” (newborns).
Awww…
Camped about five miles outside of the monument. Tons of free camping out here. Be aware that during the winter months the temperatures can drop well below freezing at night. We woke up to frost and temperatures in the teens.
The Next Morning
This was just down a hill from where we camped. The rock features are really unique here.
The Gila River.
Back down we go to lower elevation and nicer temperatures.
Stopped for coffee and a laundromat in Silver City, NM. We were pleasantly surprised at seeing all the restaurants, bike shops, and bustling atmosphere of this town.
Camped out in the middle of nowhere. Getting ready for bed and enjoying a nightcap.
Goodmorning! We don’t have to be at the farm until the afternoon and its only two hours away, so we might as well enjoy this place.
Turns out we camped beside the legendary Continental Divide Trail. A trail that is 3,100 miles long and spans the U.S. from Canada to Mexico.
We only hiked about a mile of it, but at least now we can say we hiked some of it.
Now onwards to Windsong Farm/ The Mushroom Farm, which we already covered. Be sure to check out that post!
Thanks for reading our blog! Up next… Saguaro National Park!
