• Visitors hike along the base of the Gila Cliff Dwellings.

    Gila Cliff Dwellings

    National Monument New Mexico

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  • Cliff Dwellings Closed June 3 through 7; TJ Site Tours Offered

    The Gila Cliff Dwellings will be closed from June 3 through 7, 2013 for hazard rock removal from the cliff face directly above the dwellings. Ranger-guided tours of the TJ Site will be offered at 11 am and 2 pm while the cliff dwellings are closed. More »

Be A Junior Ranger

Gila Cliff Dwellings Junior Ranger badge.

The design on the Jr. Ranger badge is from classic Mimbres black and white pottery.

NPS Photo

Junior and Senior Ranger Program


Children ages 7-12 can pick up a Junior Ranger booklet at the Visitor Center or Contact Station. To become a Junior Ranger each child must complete at least four specific activities while visiting the park. Upon completion of the program, the new Junior Ranger is awarded a certificate of completion as well as a Junior Ranger badge.

If you'd like to get an early start on the booklet before you arrive, it is available to download and print.

You must visit the park in order to earn your Junior Ranger badge.

For children 6 and under a Jr. Junior Ranger handout is available at the Visitor Center and Contact Station.

Junior Ranger Program booklet: "Welcome To Our Home in the Gila"
(PDF) (5.76 MB)

Children (and adults) of all ages may earn a certificate and patch by visiting the monument and completing the Senior Ranger booklet.

Senior Ranger Program booklet: "Discover Cliff Dweller Canyon"
(PDF) (10.8 MB)

For children who want to become a Junior Ranger but are not able to visit the park, please check out the National Park Service's WebRanger program.

Did You Know?

Agave Thistle Needle

The ancient Puebloans of the Mogollon area used the spiny tips of leaves from the agave plant as needles for sewing. This item is in the Visitor Center Museum at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.