The Gila

The Gila

I’m not a great planner, but I am a comfortable and confident drifter, and sometimes my next destination is, in a way, chosen for me. 

After leaving The Mogollon Rim in Arizona, I headed towards Gila National Forest in New Mexico. I had never been to New Mexico before, let alone ‘the Gila,’ as I’ve since heard it referred, but as soon as it popped on my radar I knew I had to check it out.

Ironically enough, if it wasn’t for a visit to Big O Tires in Sedona I might not have ever known that the Gila existed. While waiting for my tire appointment, I saw a man wearing a Chico, CA shirt and, living relatively close to Chico myself, I struck up a conversation. It turns out he’s from Chico but fell in love with Sedona 30 years ago and never left. We chatted for a while and, somewhere along the way, he asked if I’d ever been to the Gila. I admitted to never even having heard of it, at which point he proceeded to share all about it. New Mexico wasn’t even part of my initial plans for this road trip, but sure enough, after one brief conversation with a total stranger, suddenly it was part of my immediate plans. 

Looking back, the Gila has been one of the highlights of my trip so far. It’s a beautiful, remote and rugged place, massive in size—totaling approximately 3.3 million acres. It’s home to huge pine forests, dry deserts, dramatic red-rock canyons, cool creeks and rivers, hot springs and a whole plethora of wildlife. The downside to the Gila is that the main attractions require an hour + drive from the closest town, up and over a super windy mountain road—but that’s also the upside, as it weeds out the less dedicated and helps protect the wildness of the place. 

Amidst the Gila National Forest, a small section is carved out for the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, which are some of the most well preserved and intact cliff dwellings I’ve ever seen. Ironically, the dwellings were built in the late 1200’s by the Mogollon people (recognize that name?).

The cliff dwellings are a must-do, however, seeing as they only require a couple hours to explore, the rest of my five days in the Gila were primarily spent hiking the many trails in the area (one of which is amongst the best hikes I've ever taken). In fact, an alternate route of the infamous Continental Divide Trail (CDT) passes through the Gila, so I not only got to see some hardcore CDT hikers trudging through, but I also got to hike a portion of the alternate CDT myself. It’s nothing to brag about, but it was kind of fun to hike (a very small) part of a legendary trail system. 

What made this area extra special is how incredibly welcoming and visitor-friendly it is—particularly for overlanders. There are bathrooms all over the place, potable water sources at the visitor center and at practically every trailhead, four different free campsites and tons of dispersed sites just off the main road for a fella to park his van and call home for the night. 

The Gila is an area that I wouldn’t hesitate to visit again, and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a little-known, nature-filled escape from reality. It really is a special place.

“Today I think of the Gila without name, without map or spoken story. It is a landscape that embodies a certain querencia within me, within us, my fellow New Mexicans, and anyone who has traveled into the Gila and been taken by its spell and its spirits.” –mtoutlaw.com