Gila Cliff Dwellings
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument invites the public to return to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. Superintendent Steve Riley announced today that the Gila Cliff Dwellings reopened at 9 am on Tuesday, January 10, 2012. This reopening follows the completion of repairs to the West Fork Bridge on New Mexico Highway 15, one mile south of the cliff dwellings. The repairs were necessary due to damage caused by flooding in 2008 and 2010.
The cliff dwellings will remain open every day from 9 am to 4 pm. There is a $3.00 fee per adult to visit the dwellings. Guided tours are offered at 1 pm every day except during busy holiday weekends. Tours start at the cliff dwellings. It takes about one-half hour to walk up to the cliff dwellings from the trailhead, so plan ahead. Visitors may walk the self-guided trail to the cliff dwellings anytime during park hours. Volunteer Interpretive Park Rangers are on duty during park hours to help answer questions.
Visitors should carry water, dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes suitable for potentially icy and muddy trail conditions. The ½-mile hiking trail to the cliff dwellings is steep and uneven in places and includes numerous steps. The trail is not wheelchair accessible. Views of some of the cliff dwellings are possible after a 1/4-mile hike in the canyon bottom.
A temporary visitor center, located in a trailer in front of the Gila Visitor Center, remains open to the public from 8 am to 4:30 pm every day while interior repairs to the permanent visitor center continue. For up-to-date information about Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, please call the Gila Visitor Center at 575-536-9461 or visit our web site at www.nps.gov/gicl.
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