Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway
1 Tag / 93 Meilen / 3 Stunden, 6 Minuten
The Trail of the Mountain Spirits beckons. Go where the spirits of miners, homesteaders, Indians, Spanish explorers, and mountain men have left their marks. Cross the Continental Divide, experience the wild Gila River, walk amongst the ruins of ancients to sense life before history, and hear the sounds of solitude.
Tag 1
9:00 - 0 Meilen / 0 - 9:00
A ranching and mining community dating back to 1870, Silver City lies nestled in the foothills of the Pinos Altos Mountains at an elevation of 6000 feet. Nearby you will find a plethora of activities including the Gila (He-la) Cliff Dwellings, the Mogollon Catwalk, the Continental Divide, and the Silver City Walking Tour. Discover more about Grant County's colorful history. Explore the ancient cultures in the nearby 3.3 million acres of Gila National Forest and Gila Wilderness area.
9:00 - 9.2 Meilen / 18 Minuten - 9:18
Recently designated a National Historic Landmark, Fort Bayard is a 19th-century US Army post built to protect miners and settlers from Apache raids. A national cemetery and a wildlife refuge are colocated with the post. Nearby Cameron Creek offers excellent birding. A system of National Recreational Trails offers access to archeological rock art sites.
9:18 - 17.2 Meilen / 34 Minuten - 9:52
Crossing the Continental Divide, one enters the Mimbres Valley. The Mimbres River flows along the road, creating a linear oasis of cottonwood bosque winding past small ranches. Prehistoric Mimbres people lived along this river, and later the Apaches. Hispanics and Anglos settled here as well, mining gold and silver from the hills and leaving ghost towns and graveyards to mark their passing.
9:52 - 66.6 Meilen / 2 Stunden, 13 Minuten - 12:06
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument offers a glimpse of the homes and lives of the people of the Mogollon culture who lived in the Gila Wilderness from the 1280s through the early 1300s. The surroundings probably look today very much like they did when the cliff dwellings were inhabited. It is surrounded by the Gila National Forest and lies at the edge of the Gila Wilderness, the nation's first designated wilderness area. This designation means that the wilderness character of the area will not be altered by the intrusion of roads or other evidence of human presence. Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, containing 533 acres, was established on November 16, 1907. Administration of the monument was transferred from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the U.S. Department of the Interior on August 10, 1933. In the spring of 1975, the National Park Service and the US Forest Service signed a cooperative agreement whereby the Gila National Forest is responsible for administration of the monument.