Gila National Forest

The Gila National Forest is one of five national forests in New Mexico, and the largest in the country outside Alaska, with more than 3.3 million acres. It includes mountain ranges like the Mogollon, Tularosa, Diablo, Big Burro, San Francisco and Mangas Mountains, with elevations ranging from 4,000 to 11,000 feet at the summit of Whitewater Baldy.

Must-see attractions nearby:

Things to See

Aldo Leopold Wilderness

Aldo Leopold Wilderness occupies 202,016 acres of the Gila National Forest. It is named for conservation pioneer Aldo Leopold, who helped found the adjacent Gila Wilderness.

Blue Range Wilderness

Across the New Mexico border from Arizona's Blue Range Primitive Area is the 29,304 acre Blue Range Wilderness, part of New Mexico's Gila National Forest. The Mogollon Rim crosses this area, located 65 miles northwest of Silver City.

Catwalk of Whitewater Canyon

The Catwalk of Whitewater Canyon is a 250-foot metal causeway on the site of the ghost town of Graham, also called Whitewater. Parts of the mill walls are all that remain of the town.

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

North of the old mining town of Silver City are the Gila cliff dwellings: 42 rooms in six caves in the cliff face constructed by the Mogollon Indians around 1300.
The monument has a museum and visitor center. Please note that the tours start at the Cliff Dwellings themselves and it takes about a half hour to walk up to them from

the trailhead.

Gila Wilderness

The 558,065-acre Gila Wilderness is part of Gila National Forest, located 3 miles east of Glenwood and 25 miles north of Silver City. It was the world's first designated wilderness area, created in June 1924.

Lake Roberts

Lake Roberts is a 73-acre artificial body of water constructed in 1963.

Address

Gila National Forest
3005 East Camino del Bosque
Silver City, NM 88061-7863
United States

Phone 1 (505) 388-8201

Fax 1 (505) 388-8204

http://www2.srs.fs.fed.us/r3/gila/