welcome to
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
President Thedoore Roosevelt designated the Gila Cliff National Monument in 1907. President John F Kennedy expanded the monument in 1962.
Place:
LOCATION:
In the southeast corner of Catron County in southwestern NM, typically accessed by traveling north from Silver City, NM.
Place:
LOCATION:
In the southeast corner of Catron County in southwestern NM, typically accessed by traveling north from Silver City, NM
Highlights
For thousands of years, groups of nomads used the monument’s cliffside caves as temporary shelter. In the late 1200s, people of the agricultural Mogollon (Southern Ancestral Pueblo) culture made it a home, with evidence suggesting that they were seeking relief from drought. They built rooms, crafted pottery, and raised families in the cliff dwellings for one or two generations. By approximately 1300, they had moved on, leaving the walled structures behind. (Source: NPS)
Today, visitors use a 1-mile loop trail that passes through juniper, pine, and oak trees before ascending 180 feet to access the cliff dwellings and explore the ancient rooms built by the Mogollon.
43,608
People Visited in 2022
37
Jobs Supported by Visitation
Location
103 E College Ave, Silver City, NM 88061
Owner
Eric Payne
Local Business Spotlight
Gila Hike and Bike
How has Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument benefitted your business directly?
Thousands of tourists come through Silver City because of the Cliff Dwellings and they come into our shop since we have a very extensive collection of biking maps and hiking gear. Silver City is off the beaten path so we see people who come through here because of their interest in the Cliff Dwellings end up spending more than just the time it takes to go to the Cliff Dwellings. They spend money at our business, get coffee at our local shops, stay at our hotels, and buy gas and snacks at our stores. We have a great deal of outdoor recreation activities here and the Cliff Dwellings are a great and popular introduction to all of our other attractions.
How does Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument benefit the local community and the state of New Mexico?
The Cliff Dwellings have the full amenities of a national monument (good parking, a visitor’s center, trails, rangers, etc.) and are accessible to most levels of hikers. Having such a quality attraction near our community not only attracts visitors to stay here, it also allows us to introduce them to our area’s other events and attractions, such as the Tour of the Gila Bike Race, Gila Wilderness, Gila River Festival, and Continental Divide Trail Days. Because of our multitude of attractions and events, a first time visit to the Cliff Dwellings can lead to an extended stay and return visits. We see this with the cyclists who come into our shop and are gracious and appreciative of what we have here and eager to explore the rest of the region.
–Eric Payne, owner