Photos
Courtesy of: Andrea Martinez-Public Affairs Officer, Gila National
Forest
Content from the: Gila National Forest Pocket Guide
Gila National Forest 3005 E. Camino del Bosque
Silver City, NM 88061
575 388-8201 TTY/TDD 575 388-8489
Visit Website at: http://www2.srs.fs.fed.us/r3/gila/
Gila National Forest Introduction
Welcome to Gila National Forest, 3.3
million acres of publicly owned forest and range land rising
above the desert country of southwestern New Mexico. This
is a rugged realm of cactus and grass, juniper and pine, spruce
and aspen, and few people. The Gila contains more federal
land than any other national forest outside Alaska. One
unit lies less than 50 miles from the Mexican border.
The main unit forms an irregular outline about 65 by 100 miles
in area just north of Silver City. The Continental Divide
meanders for 170 miles through this awesome canyon country,
once the stronghold of Apache warrior Geronimo and his followers.
Centuries ago, cliff dwelling tribes lived here, and the remains
of their homes are scattered throughout the forest. One
outstanding example has been preserved for today's visitor by
the Forest Service and National Park Service at the Gila Cliff
Dwellings National Monument and Gila Visitor Center. The
mountain ranges of the Gila include the Mogollon, Tularosa,
Diablo, Big Burro, San Francisco and Mangas Mountains, and the
Black Range. Elevations start at 4,500 feet in the desert
and rise to almost 10,000 feet on the often snow-covered crest
of Whitewater Baldy.
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Recreation
The scenic drives, camp and picnic grounds, rushing streams
and majestic mountains of the Gila draw thousands of visitors
each year. Leisure travel through the forest is the most
popular recreational use. A favorite route is the 110-mile
Inner Loop Scenic Byway; from Silver City to Mimbres Valley,
down Sapillo Creek, across the Pinos Altos Mountains and back
to Silver City, with a side trip to the Gila Cliff Dwellings
National Monument. Other beautiful and scenic drives are
from Silver City to Hillsboro over the south end of the Black
Range; and a 235 mile route known as the Outer Loop from Silver
City through Glenwood, Reserve and Beaverhead to a junction
with the Inner Loop near the village of Mimbres. You may
enjoy the tall timber around Reserve or Willow Creek, the famous
"Catwalk" National Recreation Trail in Whitewater
Canyon near Glenwood, the historic Fort Bayard area, or the
fabled gold mining ghost town of Mogollon.
A pleasant surprise to many Gila visitors is the number and
quality of fishing streams found here- almost 500 miles worth.
Stream species rang from lower-elevation flathead and channel
catfish, to bass in the middle reaches, and wild brown and stocked
rainbow trout above 6,000 feet. Hidden deep in Gila's
wildernesses are the southernmost native populations of Rio
Grande cutthroat trout and, rarest of all, the unique, endangered
Gila trout. Presently protected from fishing, this golden
colored native might once again be sought by anglers thanks
to ongoing restoration efforts. The finest stream fishing
awaits those who are willing to "pack in". Major
streams at least partially accessible by road include all forks
of the Gila River, upper San Francisco, Willow Creek, Negrito
Creek, and Whitewater Creek. Trout can also be taken at
such popular lakes as Quemado, Lake Roberts, Snow Lake, Wall
Lake, and Bear Canyon Reservoir. The Gila's river systems
are also a refuge for such sensitive, threatened, and endangered
species as the spikedance, loach minnow, and Chihuahua and roundtail
chubs.
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Wilderness
The Gila includes more wilderness than any other national
forest in the southwest. This undeveloped natural country
can refresh the human spirit simply by it's grandeur, purity,
and remoteness. Three areas have been set aside, places
man can visit and enjoy but not change. The 558,065 acre
Gila Wilderness, created in June 1924 at the urging of the great
conservation pioneer Aldo Leopold, was the world's first designated
wilderness. It is now bordered on the east by the 202,016
acre Aldo Leopold Wilderness. The 29,304 acre Blue Range
Wilderness adjoins Arizona's rugged Blue Range Primitive Area.
Together these areas comprise a vast, roadless realm astride
the Black, Mogollon, Diablo, and Blue mountain ranges, varying
from grassland foothills upward through juniper woodland, ponderosa
pine, and then spruce-fir forests on the high peaks. Mountain
meadows, aspen glades, and spruce forests border on narrow,
rock-walled canyons which in some places plunge to depths of
more than a thousand feet. In wilderness there are no
roads; the only travel permitted is by foot or horseback.
You will find no logging, resorts nor commercial uses of any
kind except grazing. Hunting and fishing, however, are
open to all citizens under New Mexico game laws.
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Wildlife
Wildlife and fish are valuable resources of the Gila.
Each year thousands of wildlife enthusiasts flock to the forest,
providing an important source of income for merchants of nearby
communities. A common big game species in the Gila is
the Rocky Mountain mule deer. There also are many of the
beautiful Sonoran whitetail or "Coues" deer.
Antelope find forage on the grassland areas, and black bear,
deer and turkey are found throughout the forest. Javelina,
or peccary, prefer to live in the warmer parts of the Gila.
Where the now extinct Merriam's elk once reigned, the majestic
Rocky Mountain elk now roam in significant numbers ranging from
the lower elevations of pinion and juniper country up into the
aspen high country. Ft. Bayard Wildlife Refuge, east of
Silver City, offers the unique possibility of viewing elk habits
during the fall breeding season. In 1964, bighorn sheep
were reintroduced into the Gila country and have since held
their own.
Game animals of the Gila are unsurpassed, with numerous trophy
class animals being taken in recent years. The Gila's
other wildlife include the reclusive mountain lion, porcupines,
bobcats, ringtails, coatis, several species of bats, many small
mammals, and 291 species of birds, including golden eagles,
goshawks, and the great horned, flammulated, and Mexican spotted
owls. Altogether, ther are 453 species of vertebrates
to be found in the Gila, including 35 sensitive, threatened,
or endangered species.
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Water
Water is the lifeblood for all activities and is especially
vital in the arid southwest. Most of the water available
for use in this region comes from the mountain lands which make
up much of the national forests. The Forest Service is
charged with protecting and improving the water producing capabilities
of the mountain watersheds. Rain and snow on the Gila
bring 12 to 28 inches of water a year to the thirsty land, more
than 5 million tons of water annually. Although timber,
grass, and shrubs use some of the moisture, they more than pay
their way by stabilizing the soil, thus allowing the remaining
water to feed underground basins, creeks, springs, and man-made
water developments, as as well as the Gila, San Francisco, Mimbres,
and Rio Grande rivers.
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Photo Gallery (click photos
to enlarge)
Photos Courtesy
of: Andrea Martinez-Public Affairs Officer, Gila National Forest
Content from the: Gila National Forest Pocket Guide
Gila National Forest 3005 E. Camino del Bosque
Silver City, NM 88061
575 388-8201 TTY/TDD 575 388-8489
Visit Website at: http://www2.srs.fs.fed.us/r3/gila/ |
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