Lake Roberts, Gila Hot Springs, and the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument: Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway, New Mexico

SIDE TRIP 5 to Lake Roberts, Gila Hot Springs, and the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is a beautiful and sensuous journey through towering pines, gentle forests, and wonderful glades. The primary road in this Side Trip is a state-maintained highway with two 12-foot-wide paved driving lanes and intermittent shoulders. There are a number of sharp curves and some fairly steep sections. This segment is in good repair, and is snow-plowed as needed except at night and on weekends. During rare times of severe weather this road may be closed, and stay closed until cleared. Safety conditions are good for the posted speed limits. Note that there may be cattle and horses on the road; cattle and horses have the legal right-of-way.
LAKE ROBERTS is a 72-acre man-made lake in the Gila National Forest. Fed by Sapillo Creek, the lake can be fished for 10- to 14-inch rainbow trout (best late March to late May), as well as crappie, catfish, and some bass. Motels, boat ramps, and many picnicking spots are on or near the lake's edge. There are two campgrounds and numerous trails leading into the forest, as well as a self-interpretive Mimbres Indian site. GILA HOT SPRINGS is the remnants of an old ranching community settled in the 1880s by the Hills brothers, and the site of a late-1800s military camp established to guard local homesteaders. In 1929 Doc Campbell relocated to the area, where he built Doc Campbell's Post in 1963. Overnight accommodations and a convenience store with camping and picnic supplies, as well as gasoline, are available. The GILA CLIFF DWELLINGS are the ruins of 42 mud-mortared stone rooms in five natural caves which housed 10 to 15 Pueblo Indian families from the late 1270s to the early 1300s. Primarily a farming society with excellent weavers and skilled potters, its uncertain why they abandoned their homes and fields; contemporary theories suggest that intertribal warfare and/or protracted drought was the cause. The 533-acre national monument, established in 1907, also contains the ruins of an earlier Mogollon circular pit house dating from approximately AD 100 to 400. Remains of other above-ground rectangular houses which flourished until about AD 1000 are also contained within the monument. The drive into the Gila River Valley to the Cliff Dwellings is one of winding roads and breathtaking views. The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument offers an archaeological interpretive center at the base of the mile-long, steep, narrow hiking trail (which is not handicap-accessible) leading up to and through some of the oldest cliff dwellings to be found. Wear substantial shoes with good soles, and allow at least an hour's time for the visit. Campgrounds and picnic areas are available.
	Please note that there is no gasoline available on the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway west of Truth or Consequences / Williamsburg and Elephant Butte. This is the majority of the Trail, which runs through some very remote countryside. Fill your tank before you leave! Gasoline is available on Side Trip 5; or, if you choose to follow the Alternate Loop, gas is available at Silver City. Please also note that bridges between Caballo and Hillsboro bear twelve-foot, six-inch height restrictions; and the Forest Service advises not only that trailers over twenty feet are unsafe on Forest Development Road 150, but that low-clearance / non-four-wheel-drive vehicles travel that section of the Trail at their own risk.
What's on the web about Lake Roberts, Gila Hot Springs, the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, and the Gila Wilderness Area?
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Next stop on the E-Tour: the adventurous Forest Development Road 150...
	Enjoy the nature, history, and culture of southwest New Mexico - but don't disturb the natural, historical, and cultural sites. Do not remove, destroy, or deface anything on any site; strict laws protect artifacts on State, Federal, Indian, and private lands. Buying, selling, trading, or transporting these stolen items is also illegal. Please report looting and vandalism to federal land management authorities or the local sheriff. Hide all traces of your travels as the Apache hid their passing so these wildlands may remain unspoiled, the historical sites may remain true to their history, and the developed sites may remain clean and pleasant. Thank you.