Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
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courtesy of the National Park Service |
Contact Information:
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
HC 68 Box 100
Silver City, NM 88061
505-536-9461
http://www.nps.gov/gicl/
Size: 533 acres
Location: Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is located 44 miles north of Silver City on NM 15.
Description: These well-preserved cliff dwellings in natural cavities on the face of an overhanging cliff were inhabited from about AD 1280 to the early 1300s.
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Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument |
Hiking in the Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness areas are popular activities in the area. Call ahead for weather conditions and backcountry water availability. There are several popular hot springs in the area. The closest, Lightfeather, is a twenty minute walk from the Visitor Center. The most popular is Jordan, a 6 or 8 mile hike from the Visitor Center, depending upon the trailhead used.
Operating Hours: From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, the Cliff Dwellings are open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and the Visitor Center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The rest of the year, the Cliff Dwellings are open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the Visitor Center is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Cliff Dwellings, trailhead Contact Station, and Gila Visitor Center are closed on Christmas Day. On New Year's Day, the Gila Visitor Center is closed, but the Contact Station and the Cliff Dwellings are open with the normally scheduled tours offered.
History: Proclaimed on November 16, 1907; transferred from Forest Service on August 10, 1933; Forest Service resumed administration of National Park Service area on April 28, 1975.
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