Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

Mimbres, NM

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

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Build a pet-friendly route with campgrounds, stops, and travel details tailored to your crew.

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Amenities

  • Astronomy
  • Stargazing
  • Camping
  • Car or Front Country Camping
  • Food
  • Picnicking
  • Guided Tours
  • Self-Guided Tours - Walking
  • Hiking
  • Backcountry Hiking
  • Front-Country Hiking
  • Horse Trekking
  • Horse Camping (see also camping)
  • Horseback Riding
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Wildlife Watching
  • Birdwatching
  • Park Film
  • Museum Exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store

About Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

For thousands of years, groups of nomads used the caves above Cliff Dweller Creek as temporary shelter. In the late 1200s, people of the agricultural Mogollon (Southern Ancestral Pueblo) culture made it a home. They built rooms, crafted pottery and raised children in the cliff dwellings for one or two generations. By approximately 1300, the Mogollon had moved on, leaving the walls behind.