View source for Gila Wilderness

{{Short description|Wilderness area in New Mexico, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Gila Wilderness
| iucn_category = Ib
| photo = 
| photo_caption = 
| map = USA#New Mexico
| relief = 1
| map_caption = 
| location = [[Catron County, New Mexico|Catron]]/[[Grant County, New Mexico|Grant]] counties, [[New Mexico]], [[United States]]
| nearest_city = [[Silver City, New Mexico]]
| coordinates = {{coord|33|14|25|N|108|16|51|W|region:US|display=inline, title}}
| area = {{convert|558014|acre|ha|abbr=on}}
| established = 1924
| visitation_num = 
| visitation_year = 
| governing_body = [[United States Forest Service]]
}}
'''Gila Wilderness''' was designated the world's first [[National Wilderness Preservation System|wilderness area]] on June 3, 1924.<ref>[http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wid=205 Gila Wilderness] at wilderness.net.</ref> Along with [[Aldo Leopold Wilderness]] and [[Blue Range Wilderness]], the 558,014 acre (225,820 ha) (872 sq. mi.) wilderness is part of [[New Mexico|New Mexico's]] [[Gila National Forest]]. The wilderness is approximately {{convert|27|mi|km|0}} from north to south and {{convert|39|mi|km|0}} east to west.<ref name="upclose">[http://www2.nature.nps.gov/views/KCs/Wilderness/HTML/ET_07_UpClose.htm Wilderness up close] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212174752/http://www2.nature.nps.gov/views/KCs/Wilderness/HTML/ET_07_UpClose.htm |date=2007-02-12 }} at the National Park Service</ref>

U.S. Wilderness Areas do not allow motorized or mechanized vehicles, including bicycles. Camping, hunting, and fishing are allowed with proper permit, but no roads, buildings, logging, or mining are permitted. Wilderness areas within National Forests and Bureau of Land Management areas allow hunting in season.

The Gila Wilderness is located in southwest New Mexico, north of [[Silver City, New Mexico|Silver City]] and east of [[Reserve, New Mexico|Reserve]]. It contains the West Fork, Middle Fork and much of the East Fork of the [[Gila River]]; riverside elevations of around {{convert|4,850|ft|m|}} are the lowest in the wilderness. The [[Mogollon Mountains]] traverse an arc across the wilderness. The tallest peak within this range, [[Whitewater Baldy]] at {{convert|10895|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, is in the northwest part of the wilderness along with several other summits more than {{convert|10,000|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} high. At the northeast corner is prominent [[Black Mountain (Catron County, New Mexico)|Black Mountain]] rising to {{convert|9287|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www2.srs.fs.fed.us/r3/gila/publications/docs/forestmap.pdf |title=Gila National Forest map |access-date=2007-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924015355/http://www2.srs.fs.fed.us/r3/gila/publications/docs/forestmap.pdf |archive-date=2006-09-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument]] is adjacent to the wilderness.<ref>[https://www.nps.gov/gicl/index.htm Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument] at the National Park Service.</ref>

The Gila Wilderness is the largest designated wilderness area in New Mexico.
[[File:Gila-Aldo Leopold Wilderness.jpg|thumb|300px|A map of Wilderness Areas in Gila National Forest, including the Gila Wilderness]]

==History==
The [[Mimbres culture|Mimbres]] people, a subgroup of the [[Mogollon culture|Mogollon]] were active between 1000 and 1130 in the Gila Wilderness area, leaving cliff dwellings, ruins and other evidence of their culture. The [[Chiricahua]] band of [[Apache]] came into the area between 1200 and 1600.<ref name="upclose" /> Because of their fierce protectiveness, the area remained undeveloped into the 1870s.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070221212712/http://www.nps.gov/archive/gicl/adhi/adhi0a.htm Gila Cliff Dwellings] at the National Park Service.</ref> In 1922, [[Aldo Leopold]], a [[United States Forest Service]] supervisor of the [[Carson National Forest]] proposed that the headwaters area of the [[Gila River]] should be preserved by an administrative process of excluding roads and denying use permits. Through his efforts, this area became recognized in 1924 as the first wilderness area in the National Forest System.<ref>[http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/centennial/leopold.shtml Aldo Leopold] at the US Forest Service.</ref> Gila became the first congressionally designated wilderness<ref name="upclose" /> of the [[National Wilderness Preservation System]] when the [[Wilderness Act]] was signed into law by President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in 1964.

==Flora and fauna==
Vegetation in the Gila Wilderness consists of a [[spruce]]-[[fir]] and [[quaking aspen]] forest above 9,000 feet (2,732&nbsp;m), [[ponderosa pine]] forest between 6,500 feet (1,981) and 9,000 (2,732&nbsp;m), and [[Pinyon pine|pinyon]]-[[juniper]] woodland and desert vegetation below 6,500 feet and on dry southern slopes. Brushy areas, grassland, and recently burned forests are also common.<ref>Cunningham, Bill and Burke, Polly.  ''Hiking New Mexico's Aldo Leopold Wilderness.'' Helena, MT: A Falcon Guide, 2002, p. 4</ref> Within this generalized outline, a variety of [[Arizona Mountains forests|Arizona Mountains forest]] [[ecosystem]]s are found in the wilderness, mostly characteristic of a transition zone between the [[Chihuahuan Desert]] and flora typical of the [[Rocky Mountains]]. The wilderness includes [[mesquite]], [[Apache pine]] and is the northernmost home of the [[Chihuahua pine]].<ref name="nmwild">[http://www.nmwild.org/wilderness/gila Gila Wilderness] at New Mexico Wilderness Alliance.</ref> Gila contains one of the world's largest and healthiest [[ponderosa pine]] forests.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Arizona Mountains forests|id=na0503}}</ref> [[Platanus|Arizona sycamore]], [[walnut]], [[maple]], [[Ash tree|ash]], [[Populus sect. Aegiros|cottonwood]], [[alder]] and [[willow]] trees are found along rivers and in canyons.<ref name="upclose" />

Gila is home of predators such as the [[bobcat]] and [[North American cougar|cougar]]. [[Mule deer]], [[white-tailed deer]] and [[pronghorn]] are all found in the wilderness. Other mammals include the [[American black bear|black bear]], [[collared peccary]], [[gray fox]] and [[white-nosed coati]]. The [[Critically endangered species|critically endangered]] [[Mexican wolf]] was reintroduced to the wilderness in 1988 with eleven captive-raised individuals. Most died or were killed and more were released the following year.<ref>[http://www.cec.org/trio/stories/index.cfm?varlan=english&ed=3&ID=32 Guided tours to help gray wolf’s come-back] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611061804/http://www.cec.org/trio/stories/index.cfm?ed=3&ID=32&varlan=english |date=2007-06-11 }} at Commission for Environmental Cooperation.</ref> As of 2006, four packs have established themselves within Gila.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fieldtripearth.org/article.xml?id=1110&ordinal=2 |title=Mexican Wolf Monthly Report: December 2006 |access-date=2007-01-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927215035/http://www.fieldtripearth.org/article.xml?id=1110&ordinal=2 |archive-date=2006-09-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Because of conflicts with livestock owners, the federal predator control program has killed or removed several animals.<ref>[http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/PRESS/wolf-shot-07-07-2006.html Federal Government Kills Another Endangered Mexican Gray Wolf]. [[Center for Biological Diversity]].</ref>

[[Bighorn sheep]] were common throughout the region until about 1900 when they became locally extinct through hunting. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep were reintroduced to the Gila Wilderness after 1958 from a growing herd of Canadian releases in the [[Sandia Mountains]].<ref>[http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/49678.html Bighorn rooted in state's history.]</ref> Elk were reintroduced by the [[New Mexico Department of Game and Fish]] in 1954 with sixteen animals from [[Yellowstone National Park]].<ref>[http://www.fws.gov/news/historic/1956/19560219.pdf Interstate Swaps and Purchases Aid Game Restoration Program] at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.</ref>

Game birds include [[wild turkey]] and [[dusky grouse]]; birds of prey include [[common black hawk]], [[zone-tailed hawk]], [[Northern goshawk|goshawk]], [[osprey]] and [[bald eagle]]; [[American dipper]]s are found in mountain streams.<ref name="nmwild" /> The wilderness is home to the largest population of [[near threatened]] [[spotted owl]]s, which prefer [[Douglas-fir]] or [[white fir]] stands and can be found in ponderosa pine forests with a well-developed [[Gambel oak]] [[understory]].<ref>[http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mso/RecoveryUnitDetail.cfm?Unit=Gila Mexican Spotted Owl Recovery Program] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080523215537/http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mso/RecoveryUnitDetail.cfm?Unit=Gila |date=2008-05-23 }} at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.</ref>

Reptiles such as the [[Coral snake|Arizona coral snake]] and [[Gila monster]] are rarely present;<ref>[https://www.nps.gov/gicl/learn/nature/reptiles.htm National Park Service: Gila Cliff Dwellings: Reptiles.]</ref> common [[snake]]s include the [[black-tailed rattlesnake]], [[Crotalus lepidus|rock rattlesnake]], and [[Lampropeltis pyromelana|Sonora mountain kingsnake]]. [[Brown trout]], [[rainbow trout]], [[catfish]] and [[Bass (fish)|bass]] are found in rivers and streams.<ref name="upclose" /> The [[threatened]] [[Gila trout]] is present in Iron, McKenna and Spruce Creeks. It prefers sufficiently deep water, such as [[American beaver]] ponds, which provide hiding places and can withstand both floods and drought.<ref>[http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/species/gtrout/index.HTML Gila Trout] at Center for Biological Diversity.</ref>

<gallery widths="200" heights="155">

File:Mexican Wolf 2 yfb-edit 1.jpg|Four packs of [[Mexican wolf|Mexican wolves]] roam the wilderness.
File:Trout gila Spring1.jpg|The threatened [[Gila trout]] is found in the wilderness.
File:A beaver dam spans a section of the Middle Fork of the Gila River.jpg|A beaver dam spans a section of the Middle Fork of the Gila River.
</gallery>

==Recreation==
[[File:Gila River Middle Fork.2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Gila River winds its way through the Wilderness.]]
The U.S. Forest Service describes the climate of the Wilderness area as "four gentle seasons".<ref>"Gila National Forest." https://www.fs.usda.gov/generalinfo/gila/recretation/generalinfo/?groupid=4081&recid=1958, accessed 18 Apr 2012</ref> The lower elevations below {{convert|7,000|ft|m|}} are accessible all year with heavy winter snow uncommon. Elevation moderates the high summer temperatures of the surrounding [[Chihuahua Desert]]. May and June are the hottest and dryest months. Many trails are relatively easy, following stream valleys bordered by cliffs or crossing flat-topped mesas. Water is often scarce due to frequent droughts. Summer temperatures can near 100 degrees F (37&nbsp;°C), and the size and isolation of the wilderness increases the hazards of visiting. A hiker was found alive in 2007 after being lost 40 days in the Gila Wilderness, setting a new state record for the number of days for a lost person to be found alive. It is common for hikers to become lost in the vast expanse of the Gila; some are never found.<ref>[http://lcsun-news.com/ci_5021134 Hiker sets state record while enduring cold, snow] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713193111/http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_5021134 |date=2011-07-13 }} at Las Cruces Sun-News.</ref>

{{Stack|[[File:Gila Wilderness, 1922.jpg|thumb|upright|Riders in the Gila Wilderness, 1922]]}}The Gila Wilderness provides opportunities for fishing, hunting, backpacking, horseback riding and camping. It has hundreds of miles of hiking and horseback trails starting at over fifty easily accessible [[trailhead]]s.<ref name="upclose" /> A visitor center near the Gila cliff dwellings is about two hours north of Silver City, New Mexico on State Route 15. Near here, at an elevation of {{convert|5,689|ft|m|}}, trails radiate up the Middle Fork of the Gila River (41 miles [68&nbsp;km] long) and the West Fork (34.5 miles [55&nbsp;km] long) and downstream following the Gila River for 32.5 miles (51&nbsp;km).<ref>Murray, John A. ''The Gila Wilderness.'' Albuquerque: U of NM Press, 1988, pp. 113-125</ref> One of the best-known trails in the Wilderness is the "Catwalk", a one-mile trail suspended above a rushing stream in a gorge only a few feet wide. The Crest Trail, 12 miles long, passes through impressive sub-alpine forests in the highest portions of the Gila Mountains with elevations from {{convert|9,132|ft|m|}} to {{convert|10,770|ft|m|}}.<ref>Murray, pp 77-81</ref>

Many [[hot spring]]s are found within the wilderness. Cliff dwellings border stream valleys, especially along the Middle Fork of the Gila River. Rafting the Gila River is popular in the spring when water levels in the river are high due to snowmelt in the higher mountains. Because it is a wilderness, visitors must minimize their impact on the [[natural environment]] by observing the [[Leave No Trace]] principles.

An alternate to the official [[Continental Divide Trail]] (CDT) follows the canyon of the Gila River through the wilderness and has been voted one of the favorite sections of the CDT.<ref name="CDT Survey">{{cite web |title=The Continental Divide Trail Thru-Hiker Survey (2019) |url=https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/continental-divide-trail/cdt-thru-hiker-survey-2019/ |website=Halfway Anywhere |date=8 January 2020 |access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref>

The Gila Wilderness is separated from the sizable Aldo Leopold Wilderness by only a gravel road and a few scattered pieces of private property. Aldo Leopold offers additional long-distance hiking and backpacking opportunities.

{{wide image|gila.panorama.jpg|800px|A panoramic view west from the foothills just north of the Catwalks trailhead, December 31, 2008}}

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

==External links==
* [http://gilaflora.com Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness]
{{Commons category-inline|Gila Wilderness}}

{{Catron County}}{{Protected areas of New Mexico}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wilderness areas of New Mexico]]
[[Category:Gila River]]
[[Category:Mogollon culture]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Grant County, New Mexico]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Catron County, New Mexico]]
[[Category:IUCN Category Ib]]
[[Category:Gila National Forest]]
[[Category:1924 establishments in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1924]]