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.
Alerts
- InformationWater Availability
There is NO water at the scorpion campgrounds and the trailhead for the cliff dwellings. Water is available at the Visitor Center, Woody's corral and TJ's corral.
- InformationNo Pets are allowed on the Cliff Dwelling Trail
Pets are not allowed onto the Gila Cliff Dwelling Trail. Kennels are available at the Trailhead on a First Come First Serve basis and are available to those that are going on the Cliff Dwelling Trail not the Wilderness trails.
- InformationSecure trash and food
Pack it in, pack it out! There are no trash services in or around the monument. All food & trash must be secured inside a vehicle. Ravens routinely open zipped bags & tear into trash bags left outside or in the bed of a truck.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx Rendezvous Fy27
18 mi from the park's reference point · 34 acres
- PrescribedRx Terry Well Piles Fy27
18 mi from the park's reference point · 10 acres
- PrescribedRx Wagon Wheel North Piles Fy27
24 mi from the park's reference point
- PrescribedRx Wagon Wheel West Piles Fy27
25 mi from the park's reference point · 33 acres
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument | Daily · 9:00AM - 4:00PM |
Hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 9:00AM - 4:00PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
When to go
March draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Upper Scorpion Campground | 12 sites | |
| Upper Scorpion Campground provides primitive camping opportunities within walking distance of the West Fork of the Gila River. · 10 first-come | ||
| Lower Scorpion Campground | 7 sites | |
| Lower Scorpion Campground provides primitive camping opportunities within walking distance of the West Fork of the Gila River. · 7 first-come | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- WNP Park Store ↗Passport stamp
At the trailhead to the cliff dwellings, you will find our park store operated by the Western National Parks. Many items related to the park, the Gila Wilderness, and to the Continental Divide Trail are available, as well as souvenirs and American Indian crafts.
- Gila Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Visitors can get information for visiting the park and watch an orientation film, and tour the museum.
Explore
Events
- Dwellings Tour10/1411:00 AM · freeMeet up at the cliff dwellings.
- Painting the Past10/1402:00 PM · freeMeet in front of the bookstore at the trailhead for the Gila Cliff Dwellings.
- Solar Viewing at the Visitor Center10/1501:00 PM · freeMeet in front of the visitor center
- Stars Over The Gila10/1508:30 PM · freeMeet at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Visitor Center parking lot.
- Secrets of the Skull10/1602:00 PM · freeMeet in front of the bookstore at the trailhead for the Gila Cliff Dwellings.
- Why Save These Cliffs?10/1802:00 PM · freeMeet in front of the bookstore at the trailhead for the Gila Cliff Dwellings.
Show all 8Hide
- Gila Bird and Nature Walk10/2309:00 AM · freeMeet in front of the bookstore at the trailhead for the Gila Cliff Dwellings.
- Life in the Gila10/2402:00 PM · freeMeet at the bookstore at the trailhead for the cliff dwellings.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Black Mountain Lookout CabinBuilding · Black Mountain · 10.7 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Gila Cliff Dwellings. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for New Mexico's national parks and the Southwest
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 138 birds, 38 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barn Owl · Common Black Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Elf Owl · Flammulated Owl · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Long-eared Owl · Merlin · Mountain Pygmy Owl · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Peregrine Falcon · Prairie Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture · Zone-tailed Hawk
Waterfowl & wadersCommon Merganser · Great Blue Heron · Striated Heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsKilldeer · Spotted sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesBand-tailed Pigeon · Gambel's Quail · Montezuma Quail · Mourning Dove · White-winged Dove · wild turkey
WoodpeckersAcorn Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Ladder-backed Woodpecker · Lewis' Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Red-naped Sapsucker · Williamson's Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsBlack-chinned Hummingbird · Broad-tailed Hummingbird · Calliope Hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · White-throated Swift
Also on the checklistAmerican Bushtit · American Cliff Swallow · American Dusky Flycatcher · American Grey Flycatcher · American Redstart · American Robin · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Barn Swallow · Bell's Vireo · Bewick's Wren · Black Phoebe · Black-headed Grosbeak · Black-throated Sparrow · Blue Grosbeak · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brewer's Blackbird · Brewer's Sparrow · Bridled Titmouse · Brown Creeper · Brown Towhee · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's Oriole · California Scrub Jay · Canyon Wren · Cassin's Kingbird · Chipping Sparrow · Clark's Nutcracker · Common Nighthawk · Common Poorwill · Common Yellowthroat · Cordilleran Flycatcher · Curve-billed Thrasher · Dark-eyed Junco · Dusky-capped Flycatcher · Gray Catbird · Greater Pewee · Greater Roadrunner · Green-tailed Towhee · Hammond's Flycatcher · Hepatic Tanager · Hermit Thrush · House Finch · House Wren · Hutton's Vireo · Indigo Bunting · Juniper Titmouse · Lark Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Lazuli Bunting · Lesser Goldfinch · Lincoln's Sparrow · Mallard · Mountain Chickadee · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Raven · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Olive Warbler · Painted Whitestart · Pinyon Jay · Plumbeous Vireo · Purple Martin · Pygmy Nuthatch · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-faced Warbler · Rock Wren · Rufous-crowned Sparrow · Sage Thrasher · Sand Martin · Say's Phoebe · Scarlet Flycatcher · Song Sparrow · Spotted Towhee · Steller's Jay · Summer Tanager · Swainson's Thrush · Tecolote occidental · Townsend's Solitaire · Transvolcanic Jay · Tree Swallow · Vesper Sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Warbling Vireo · Western Bluebird · Western Kingbird · Western Tanager · Western Wood Pewee · Whip-poor-will · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-headed Blackbird
Small mammalsAbert's squirrel · American beaver · Botta's pocket gopher · Cliff Chipmunk · Crawford's Gray Shrew · Mexican Vole · Mexican Woodrat · Western Harvest Mouse · black-tailed jackrabbit · brush mouse · common muskrat · deer mouse · desert cottontail · pinon mouse · rock squirrel · western white-throated woodrat
PredatorsAmerican black bear · bobcat · common gray fox · coyote · hooded skunk · northern raccoon · striped skunk · white-backed hog-nosed skunk
Hoofed mammalscollared peccary · elk · mule deer · white-tailed deer
BatsBrazilian free-tailed bat · California Myotis · Eastern Small-footed Bat · big brown bat · big free-tailed bat · hoary bat · little brown myotis · silver-haired bat · southwestern myotis
Also on the checklistCatamount
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
Weather is extremely variable. Summers are usually around 90° F. but approach 100° F. Winters have occasional snow or temperatures near 0° F. Thunderstorms are common in the summer and early fall, usually in the afternoon. https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=33.2296&lon=-108.2639#.YUX0_SuSmUk
Questions people ask
Does Gila Cliff Dwellings charge an entrance fee?
No. Gila Cliff Dwellings is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Gila Cliff Dwellings?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - 4:00PM, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Gila Cliff Dwellings?
Yes. The Park Service lists 2 campgrounds in Gila Cliff Dwellings: Upper Scorpion and Lower Scorpion. 2 are first-come, first-served.
Do any Gila Cliff Dwellings campgrounds have hookups or showers?
No. None of the 2 listed campgrounds report showers, electric hookups, or a dump station.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Gila Cliff Dwellings right now?
3 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Water Availability; No Pets are allowed on the Cliff Dwelling Trail; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Gila Cliff Dwellings?
34,438 recreation visits in 2025, number 293 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
When was Gila Cliff Dwellings established?
1907.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Gila Cliff Dwellings?
Weather is extremely variable. Summers are usually around 90° F.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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