Gila Cliff Dwellings and free campgrounds

May 2, 2016

From Lordsburg I headed north on 90 to Silver City, NM then north on 15. 15 is very windy and narrow so it was slow going. After the intersection with 35, 15 turned into a wider road with a centerline but still curvy. 

The first campground I came to was Grapevine but the road to it was a very steep descent so I skipped that one. The next one was Forks and it looked good so I went in to check it out. Free, empty and lots of big spaces so I settled in to one high over a small river. Across the river are some interesting cliffs. 

Spent a quiet night and continued on early the next morning to the Cliff Dwellings. 

May 3, 2016

There is a bicycle race in this area from the 5th to the 8th. Lots of bikes on the road already. I will need to be off these roads before the race begins or it will be a hassle. 

The two campgrounds near the Cliff Dwellings are just small parking lots and tent sites with picnic tables in the trees. So I headed up to the parking lot for the Gila Cliff Dwellings. It was large with no signs saying no camping so I plan on staying the night here. 

Took the 1 mile loop to the Dwellings then came back to my van and had lunch. 

I will add pictures of the ruins later. 

After lunch, I went on a 4 mile hike that included several river crossings. Wet boots. 

Spent a quiet night in the parking lot. 

Tomorrow I head out again.