Gila National Forest

Located above the desert of southwest New Mexico, lies the Gila National Forest comprised of 3.3 million acres of forest and rangeland. This is a rugged realm of cactus and grass, juniper and pine, spruce and aspen, and few people. One portion of the Gila is less than 50 miles from the Mexican border, but the main unit, just north of Silver City, forms an irregular outline about 65 by 100 miles in area. The Continental Divide meanders for 170 miles through this awesome canyon country which once was the stronghold of the Apache warrior Geronimo and his followers. Centuries before this, cliffdwelling tribes lived here, and their cave homes are preserved and explained for you by the Forest Service and the National Park Service at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and Gila Visitor Center.

See our map for help in getting you there.