GILA WILDERNESS

September 10, 2008


Gila River Gila National Forest
 Gila National Forest is one of the first National Forests to be recognized as one and is also a location that has still kept its pristine condition as it was when it was found.  There is 6 million acres of land out here sierra pine trees, to rolling desert grasslands to mountainous hills that bring some of the most peaceful conditions I have ever had for a hike.  This is located about an hour and a half north of El Paso Texas in New Mexico.


Grapevine campground Gila National Forest

 The first night I came out here, I was with a friend of mine and I was quite unprepared to what I was going to encounter. We ended up going through way too many resources at the campground and we didnt really leave the campsite much. 




Gila National Forest near the west section
The Next time I came out here I was with another friend and we stayed a few days in Glenwood and some other places around the area.   It was quite beautiful in some of the desert highlands but again we had way too much stuff on us and were quite un prepared for the trip.  We ended up staying in a lot of campgrounds and made the best of with with visiting a lot of places around New Mexico.
Hot Springs Gila National Forest
 This time around, the trip went a bit better as we wer a bit more prepared for the cold nights but still froze pretty bad.  We went on a amazing loop trail that took us through some desert lands, grass lands, into pine forest and down into a canyon with hoodoos and a gorge that we followed out of the Wilderness. It was quite the adventure and took us alomst 12 hours to complete the trip.


Gila Cliff Dwellings loop trail Gila National Forest

 The Following day we did a day hike around another canyon which was also a nice hike through the desert highlands.


 Gila National Forest
 After a few days in the Gila, We went to the Burro Wilderness, City Of Rocks, where we camped for another night.
  
Gila Cliff Dwellings Gila National Forest
We went to visit the White Sands Missle range and camped at Oliver lee which was another nice campsite as there was this vist overlook after a strenous mountain hike which was amazing to see.
Gila Cliff Dwellings Gila National Forest
 We finally ended our trip at the Valley Of Fire where Lava spewed onto the desert between 10 and 15,000 years ago.  New Mexico is a desolate place but i absolutley love the Gila Wilderness and at 6 million acres, you can find solitude and plenty of things to do for years to come.


Gila Cliff Dwellings Gila National Forest


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