Southern New Mexico Travel and Tourism Information: Activities, Attractions, History, and Culture - Articles - Gila Wilderness

Leopold Legacies-how he came to preserve the Gila Wilderness

no@spam.com (Pam Hendrickson) — Sat, 11 Jan 2003 23:51:27 PST

It is autumn 1919, in a wild and scenic area of New Mexico's Gila Forest. A young assistant district forester named Aldo Leopold is on horseback, trying to imagine what his surroundings will be like if a proposed road system goes through, a "civilizing" influence becoming all too familiar in other forests of the Southwest. Not here, he resolves. Something must be done to save it so future generations will be able to enjoy the purity and beauty of this back country.

Voices of the Wind-life in a Gila Wilderness lookout tower

no@spam.com (Drusilla Claridge) — Sat, 11 Jan 2003 23:46:01 PST

From the tower we could see much of the Gila's three million acres. Visible over the treetops were wooded hills, bare mesas, canyons and ridges, and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. To the west, the Mogollon Mountains glowed in the sunset at 11,000 feet. To the north were the bare and lonesome Plains of San Agustín, cut by curiously shaped hills.

Hot Springs in the Gila National Forest

no@spam.com (Renee Despres) — Fri, 10 Jan 2003 23:56:39 PST

Hot springs in the Gila vary in their accessibility. A trip to the Middle Fork hot springs, for example, only requires a half hour walk and a couple of river crossings, while others are a full day's hike and an overnight stay away. But whether you're feeling adventurous or mellow, you can always find a chance for a relaxing soak in a beautiful outdoor setting. With a little exploration, visitors can discover quiet, remote springs.

Escape to the Gila Wilderness

no@spam.com (Jim Reed) — Thu, 09 Jan 2003 00:29:20 PST

The road heads north, from the pass of El Paso to the cross of Las Cruces and farther to the spot where you turn west and leave the Rio Grande's fertile sides. As you travel towards Hillsboro, the road rolls and twists, breaking the straightness and monotony of the Interstate. Now it's time to pay attention; driving becomes work and fun, a test of your attentive ability. It takes effort to escape; the efforts can test your reactions and the fitness of your vehicle. Small trees start to appear. The feeling of going upward gradually becomes obvious.

Dreamfish in the Upper Gila River

no@spam.com (Dutch Salmon) — Wed, 08 Jan 2003 00:25:05 PST

The Smallmouth Bass may well be our finest freshwater gamefish; I think he is. Clearly, he is superior to his bass cousins. The White Bass is a small, staid, tasteless fish compared to the Smallmouth, a school fish given to running, en masse, in man-made lakes. The White Bass is a common fish. The Largemouth Bass has too large a following to be as easily dismissed as the White Bass. It is likely that the Largemouth is the single most sought after species in North America. I think this is because the Largemouth is ubiquitous, at least in the nation's lakes and reservoirs, strikes viciously on artificials, and is a great leaper. The Largemouth is a better eating fish than the White Bass and, all said, is a very good fish; but not even the Largemouth tournament winners and aficionados will claim their fish has the speed, élan or strength per pound of the Smallmouth.

Listen to the Silent Roar of history

no@spam.com (S. Joan Popek) — Wed, 08 Jan 2003 00:19:40 PST

Cliff dwellings. What an unremarkable phrase for such a remarkable feat. An entire village carved out of solid rock. Carved not with the bulldozers and explosives that we so casually use today to gouge mortal wounds into Mother Earth, but with primitive tools and back-breaking labor. Carved not to pillage or destroy but to settle into Earth's protective bosom as children settle into their mothers' laps.

Gila River and Smallmouth Bass

no@spam.com (Dutch Salmon) — Tue, 07 Jan 2003 00:14:46 PST

You sit around enough campfires or barrooms with enough fisherman and you realize that every one of us is pleased to argue for our favorite fish, favorite fishing spot, and favorite method of pursuing fish. Like the endless debates over guns, game animals, and calibers, these are arguments that won't go away, and that outdoor writers will forever milk for copy.

A grand hike in the Gila

no@spam.com (Larry Lightner) — Fri, 03 Jan 2003 00:12:40 PST

I took a trail the other day that wound its way far above the Gila River. After a mile or so, I left the trail and dropped off the ridge into a deep bowl covered with tall, old ponderosa pines. One pine, at the center, towered high above its neighbors like a matriarch.

A few good Gila Wilderness hikes

no@spam.com (Bill Winkley ) — Fri, 03 Jan 2003 00:01:35 PST

One very large value of life here - one I had not fully anticipated - is the overwhelming abundance of opportunities for hiking in the Gila Wilderness. With the good fortune of meeting some avid hikers and their invitation to join them, I now passionately look forward to frequent hikes as my recreation, my spiritual development and my therapy. There are several I would like to recommend to others planning a visit or a relocation here.

September Wildflowers in the Gila

no@spam.com (Pam Hendrickson) — Sat, 21 Dec 2002 23:29:46 PST

"Another glorious day, the air as delicious to the lungs as nectar to the tongue." John Muir wrote this in another time, another place, but his words beautifully describe New Mexico's Gila Forest country in September.