Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

Wendy van Ginkel

2024-04

Don’t miss this wonderful place. It is definitely a drive in and out. The signs say to allow 2 hours for a 45 mile drive from Silver City. Google directions say an hour and a half and that is what it took us. The road is windy and there are several area where there is a steep drop off so be careful. Be sure to download maps as we did not have cell service from a certain point. We went during the week out of season and there were very few cars on the road. The Park Rangers were incredibly knowledgeable and willing to share, but asked us if we wanted information or whether we wanted to explore quietly ourselves. The circular route/walk up to the caves and back was easier than I expected after reading reviews. The Rangers have walking poles if you want or need them. Parking is plentiful as are the picnic sites, but remember that what you bring in you must take out (trash). Don’t miss this amazing place.Restrooms: Clean restrooms available. Some are pit latrines.Picnic area: Plenty of picnic areas available, but there are no trash cans - what you bring in you must take out with you.

Quinton Hamp

2024-04

We were honored to catch the 1 pm tour led by Joan Cox. So many great little secrets and insights she showed us that we would have missed if we were on our own. Our little kids had no issues with the hike up to the cliffs, and their Junior ranger program here is excellent. Also, the drive from Silver City is very twisty and car sick inducing. We stopped often to see the views or touch the mountain streams. Wish we had brought swim suits so we could have gone to Docs hot springs.Restrooms: Plenty of vault toiletsDog-friendliness: Hike is not dog friendlyPicnic area: Good picnic areas

Angela Radloff

2024-04

This was incredible. Over 750 years old. The park had to repair some of the walls but somewhere between 80-90% is legit. Built by the Mogollon people who lived here for about 30ish years. The hike in wasn’t too bad. Also the 1-1/2 drive in was full of beautiful scenery. There was no traffic when we went but the signs stated it took 2 hours. So if it’s not the off-season for travel it might take longer with more traffic.

Neen Thomas

2024-01

There's nothing I can say, but wow! The guide was very informative and friendly. Heed his warnings, and you'll be ok. Respect the land and the caves, please.What a peaceful beautiful hike to the caves. What a journey through the caves.Walking sticks are there for you for free or add a donation. You'll receive a map guide to provide you with more details on your journey.Restrooms: Restrooms are in parking lot. Use before you attempt this hike. Thank me later. Very clean

William Jackson

2024-03

Can't wait to to . Looks like it would be a beautiful drive up there as well. Can't wait to see how the people used to live. I am going in early February. Is this a good time to go. I'm curious when the optimum time to go is. There is light snow on the ground now. I went to guila point today it was an amazing drive highly recommend it not very much physical effort requiredRestrooms: They are not bad for stand aloneDog-friendliness: Dogs can poop there. Just be mindful and clean up after yourself

Justine Edwards

2024-04

Quite incredible to see how the Mogollon people lived and how interesting the caves are with all their nooks and crannies. The view looking out the caves is just as impressive. A great looped walk along the beautiful paths, over small bridges, up to the caves and back down a different route.

Rhonda Cameron

2024-04

Hiking at the Gila Cliff Dwellings offers a captivating journey through history and nature. Don't miss the well-preserved 700-year-old corn husk, adding to the site's allure.

Michael Dechane

2023-12

One of the most amazing stops on our whirlwind tour of national parks and monuments this summer. The drive through Gila National Forest is its own delight. But the short hike up to these ancient dwellings and the feeling of being inside them was just one of the most unique and sacred experiences of my life. Also: don’t skip the bookstore! Get a copy of The Other Way to Listen.

Issa Baker

2024-03

This place is pretty amazing! It’s a good drive back there but I found that part fun!The dwelling are in such good shape and the fact they let you actually climb up inside of them is pretty amazing! All the staff was very friendly and could answer all our questions.Restrooms: Pit toilets, clean.Picnic area: Nice picnic area behind the book store.

Mitchell Bishop

2023-11

It's a beautiful place to walk, is wonderful. You do have to be careful. The altitude and the walk can affect people. The biggest issue is getting there, not for the faint of heart, two hours from Silver City. YOU HAVE TO WANT to go, plan on at least 6 hours

Bobby Coville

2024-04

Awesome short hike. The rangers in the area very helpful and welcoming.Restrooms: Vault toilets were very clean.Picnic area: No food allowed on the hike. There is a small picnic area behind the book store.

Adam Rossow

2023-11

The Gila Cliff Dwellings have been a must see adventure for my wife and me since we met. Celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary exploring the area was nothing short of spectacular!The ancient dwellings carved into the cliffs offer a unique glimpse into the past, leaving visitors in awe of the stories embedded in the rocks.The surrounding area adds to the allure of the experience. The drive to the park is an unexpected adventure, with scenic views and a sense of anticipation building up as you approach. The park not only offers a historical journey but also provides a friendly environment for service dogs, ensuring accessibility for all visitors.Overall, the Gila Cliff Dwellings seems to be a must-visit destination for couples seeking a harmonious blend of history and the wonders of nature.

Don and John’s RV Life

2024-04

Very cool hike up and visit these dwellings , so neat and you actually get to go in them. Go…… it is cool !!

Melissa Alexander

2023-06

Wonderful trail that takes you up into these ancient Pueblo cliff dwellings in the north section of Gila National Forrest. Route 15 takes you on a long scenic drive. Takes about 2 hours to go 43 miles. The trail is about mile, with the portion leading to cliff dwellings easier to navigate than portion coming down.Restrooms: Restrooms are more primitive at the base of trails to Gila Cliff dwellings, but the Visitor Center is only five minutes away and has better restroom facilities.Picnic area: Picnic area is near the Visitor center.

Chris Clementi

2024-04

We had a really nice time. The scenery was beautiful, the Dwellings were interesting, and the volunteers were wonderful.

Amanda Watson

2023-06

The drive to get to the dwellings was beautiful. The park ranger(Rory, I believe) was very informative in telling us what to expect during the hike. It was a breathtaking and beautiful area. The parks service does an amazing job at up-keep. Look forward to returning one day.

Katelyn Garcia

2023-05

Way exceeded my expectations! To be fair, I've never visited any ancient dwellings before, so it being my first experience definitely made it even cooler. But, to my knowledge, this is a pretty unique dwelling area, because of how well preserved its managed to stay. It's a very short and fun hike up to the Dwellings themselves. It's free, which was very surprising to me! The staff at the visitor center and the bookstore are so knowledgeable and eager to tell you all about the history of these dwellings.Furthermore, being situated right in Gila National Forest, there is SO much hiking nearby! If you've got pups, the only place they can't go is on the trail up to the dwellings. Outside of that, they can go on all the trails.During my visit, I hiked the 4.5 miles out on Little Bear Canyon and had lunch at the backpacker's camp where it end. The views throughout this hike were amazing! (Some pictures included from the hike and the lunch spot.) I highly recommend it, but if not this hike, definitely take advantage of some of the many miles of trail out there!

M Glaze

2023-11

Small visitor's center, no gift shop, nice display of artifacts and a short video. Walk to the Gila Cliff Dwellings is very pleasant, approximately 1 mile loop. I recommend taking the left route rather than right as the left loop is a more gradual climb and the right loop back has a steep decline. Takes a little over an hour or hour and a half to visit unless you're in a hurry.Restrooms: Relatively clean

Randy Geries

2023-09

Nice trail to get to the dwellings but moderately towards the cliffs. Recommend meeting the Park Ranger for the presentation. Informative and interactive. Bring water when it’s hot. Nice parking area with bathrooms.Restrooms: Nice and clean.

Ohm Ra

2023-08

Beautiful drive there, don't do it if you're in a hurry. The hike is short but a bit steep. It's amazing to be able to step back in time in a way and imagine what life was like back then.

Ryan Bluestein

2024-04

Interesting history, beautiful location, and the best NPS volunteers I've ever met! Seriously, they were super knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful.

Nathan Brown

2023-06

One of the best preserved of such sites I’ve visited, and it’s set up so you can walk through it and see the rooms up close. There aren’t too many other places in this country where you can experience the distant past in quite the same way. The hike is short but it’s steep, more than 300 roughly hewn stone steps; you don’t have to be an athlete or an expert hiker to do it but take it seriously and bring water. I could see it being a bit of an issue if you’re really scared of heights too, there are some parts that are kind of narrow and at the edge of a cliff. The trail up is good for spotting birds, we saw a few different species. Nice little gift shop, we found a couple things we needed there. Make sure to plan enough time for the drive up — it’s a very winding road and can be slow going — and fill up on gas first. There’s a general store with gas, basic camping supplies and excellent ice cream, Doc Campbell’s, a few miles from the cliff dwelling but I’m pretty sure they’re only open from noon to 4 so you might not be able to count on that depending on when you’re going. It’s a beautiful drive with stunning views of the national forest but it’s a narrow road, take it slow and be careful when there’s another car coming from the opposite direction.

Tracy and John Full time Rv’ers

2023-12

Beautiful area! Great trails very easy hike. Highly recommend ! Bathrooms, Rangers on site and store.Restrooms: Pit toilet. Clean

Susan Brown

2023-05

I am so glad we went here. The drive there was windy and made my husband and my cat sick. (We travel in a campervan, so kitty comes with us) Once you get to the bookstore you take a small trail to get to the dwellings. The trail is beautiful and less than a mile. Muddy though, so wear boots. Then you get to the dwellings and you can’t believe you are standing in such a historic space. Over 700 years ago people lived there. It’s fascinating!!!

Shirley Hummer

2024-02

Great experience. You can walk through the dwellings and take your time. Beautiful area

Andy Smith

2023-05

This is a great little National Monument to visit, even though it’s in the middle of nowhere. Its quite a drive but easy to get to from Tucson or Albuquerque if you happen to be in the area. Some of the views are fantastic, especially from the dwellings Trail. The scenic drive up here is also really niceIts well worth doing, not just for the history, but to see the ingenuity of the Mogollon from hundreds of years ago. Its impressive to see a village built in to the cliffs like this. I have seen similar things like Tonto, but this one is impressive considering its age.The walk up to the dwellings is pretty easy and you can do the whole thing in a couple of hours. There is also a lovely walk along the river from the visitors center, Middle Fork trail. This is worth doing once you have done the actual cliff dwellings.This National Monument is definitely worth doing. Great place to camp for the weekend or there are some places to stay nearby in Silver City.

Gregory Eastman

2023-10

Absolutely beautiful hike up to the cliff dwellings. Really nice rangers that were super helpful. I absolutely loved my visit to this site.

Kevin Courtney

2023-05

The area is fascinating. I went and saw the caves first, nothing like it, pictures do not do it justice. Rod was the guide that helped me out in the beginning explaining the trail, very informative and knowledgeable. Rory was another volunteer on site at the caves that shared specific info of the area itself. I then hiked into Little Bear Canyon not a hard trail but some points are more intermediate difficulty.

Joni Zander

2024-04

One of the best national monuments I've been to! The staff and volunteers were really happy to be there and share their knowledge.It's great to be able to explore inside the cliff dwellings and lots of free camping nearby.And the bookstore is incredibly well stocked, including all sizes of Junior Ranger vests and hats.

de Stuffilator

2024-02

Nice place to send a pleasant afternoon. It's a fair drive from town due to the twisties on SH15.