INTERPRETIVE ZONE 3 lies almost entirely within the Gila National Forest, much of it enfolded by the rugged, wild, and adventurous beauty of the Gila Wilderness Area and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Area. The Side Trip to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is highly recommended, as much for the journey as the destination.

The primary roads in this Zone, except for Forest Development Road 150, are state-maintained highways with two 12-foot-wide paved driving lanes and intermittent shoulders. The state-maintained segments are in good repair, and safety conditions are good for the posted speed limits. Highway 59 east of the Beaverhead Work Center contains some sharp turns and a couple narrow areas, and is open range cattle country. Note that cattle have the legal right-of-way. This segment of road is snow-plowed as needed except at nights and on weekends. During rare times of severe weather this road may be closed, and stay closed until cleared.

This Zone starts just north of the town of San Lorenzo, meanders up the Mimbres River Valley through the town of Mimbres, and continues to the unassuming junction of the bone-rattling Forest Development Road 150.

At this intersection you are urged to continue forward on the side trip to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument by way of Lake Roberts and Gila Hot Springs. (If you choose to take the Alternate Loop bypassing the high-clearance / four-wheel-drive Forest Development Road 150, that's the way you'll go anyway. The Beaverhead Work Center and Wall Lake are both accessible from the opposite direction on much better roads, so you don't need to worry about missing any of the primary stops on the Byway. Alternately, you may decide to retrace the Byway to Truth or Consequences and finish up the rest of it 'backwards.')

If you decide to come back after taking the Cliff Dwellings side trip and rough it along Forest Development Road 150, you'll pass through miles and hours of solitude in the wilderness, eventually coming to Wall Lake, and then connecting back up with pavement at the Beaverhead Work Center for the duration of the Trail.

The first settlement you'll encounter in this Zone is Mimbres - a quiet, unassuming town situated in the beautiful Rio Mimbres Valley with side-road assets that aren't always immediately apparent.

After going through Mimbres you'll be re-entering the Gila National Forest and its diverse, accessible landscape offering wide-ranging recreational experiences including hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, hunting, fishing, camping, backpacking, rock climbing, and jeeping. This area encompasses some of the highest, most rugged wilderness in New Mexico, including both the Aldo Leopold and Gila Wildernesses.

The Aldo Leopold Wilderness is a vast wilderness along the Continental Divide, named for the early naturalist who encouraged preservation of wildlands; and the Gila Wilderness is the first declared wilderness area in the nation, the largest primitive area still maintained. Note that combustion engines are not allowed in designated wilderness areas.

This topographically rugged area was part of the traditional hunting and gathering land for the Warm Springs Apache, but - as will become evident during your travels - created an impressive barrier to early American settlement. However, as increasing numbers of white pioneers pushed into the territory, the Apache were not only forced to relinquish ownership of the land, but were also restricted to reservations in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Florida.

The intersection with Forest Development Road 150 comes a few miles after entering the Gila National Forest. You can continue forward on Highway 35 to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and enjoy the spectacular scenery lent on this highly recommended side trip with stops at Lake Roberts and Gila Hot Springs along the way.

Backtracking after a visit to the Cliff Dwellings, you either can take the Alternate Loop toward Silver City going west on Highway 35, or return to Forest Development Road 150 by retracing your steps east on Highway 35.

Next stop on the E-Tour:
the town of Mimbres...