Visit the Gila Visitor museum to see this miniature Mogollon mug and other artifacts found in the cliff dwellings by archaeologists.
NPS Photo
Tread lightly, please
The trail from the mouth of Cliff Dweller Canyon up to the Gila Cliff Dwellings follows a stream, up the steep, rocky slope along the cliff side and into three of the six caves. The dwellings were once home to Tularosa Mogollon families.
The one-mile loop trail will let you explore the natural environment that sustained the people, discover the caves carved over time by nature and through rooms with original timber lintels and support beams still intact.
Your help is needed to keep these artifacts, structures, and the human history safe and available for others to see and enjoy:
Stay on the trail for your own safety and to help protect fragile resources and your national heritage.
Do not have food or drink other than water.
Take nothing but photographs.
Within the caves, do not touch the rocks or any building walls.
There is even more to see and do at Gila Cliff Dwellings including a trailhead museum, museum exhibits with artifacts at the visitor center, and a 15-minute video.
Weather is extremely variable-Summers are usually in the 80s but approach 100 degree F, winters have occasional snow or temperatures near zero F. Thunderstorms are common in the summer and early fall, usually in the afternoon. Thunderstorms may cause temporary lightning closures.
Gila Cliff Dwellings Entrance Fee - Per Person - $10.00
Following federal government mandatory changes to entrance fees for national parks, Gila Cliff Dwellings has raised the per person entrance fee to $10 per person. The monument does not have a per car fee. All federal passes will be accepted. There is now a Gila Cliff Dwellings annual pass, good for admission to the dwellings only for one year. Cost is $40. Children age 15 and younger are free.
Entrance Passes:
National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass - $80.00
The pass is good for one year from the date of purchase. The pass is for the pass holder and occupants of a single, private, non-commercial vehicle. OR The pass holder and three persons over the age of 16 where per person fees are charged. Can be used at: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation sites that charge fees.
The National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Military Annual Pass - $0.00
For entrance or standard amenity fees at Federal Recreation sites for the pass holder and occupants of a single, private, non-commercial vehicle. OR the pass holder and 3 persons over the age of 16 where per person fees are charged.
The National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Lifetime Access Pass - $0.00
For US citizens medically determined to have a permanent disability that severely limits one or more major life activities. Free entrance for the pass holder and occupants of a single, private, non-commercial vehicle. OR the pass holder and three persons (16 or older) where per person fees are charged. Disability documentation is required.
The National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Senior Annual Pass - $20.00
Issued to United States Citizens age 62 or older on date of issue. Covers entrance fees on all federal public lands for the passholder and everyone in the same, single noncommercial vehicle. Or, the passholder and three adults age 16 and older where per person fees are collected.
The National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Senior Lifetime Pass - $80.00
This lifetime pass is for U.S. citizens 62 years or older. Present in person. Valid at federal recreation entrance or standard amenity fee sights for: pass holder and occupants of a single, private non-commercial vehicle OR one motorcycle OR pass holder and three persons (16 and older) where per person fees are charged. Valid at: U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation.
Gila Cliff Dwellings Park Specific Annual Pass - $40.00
This pass is good for one full year from date of purchase. It covers the per person entrance fee for the card holder and three other adults (age 16 and up). Cardholder must be present and must show identification with their pass.
Joint Visitor Center for Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument(NPS) and the Wilderness District of the Gila National Forest (USFS). Open every day of the year 8 AM-4:30 PM Mountain Time. Visitors can get information for visiting the park and hiking the Wilderness as well as watch an orientation film, tour the museum and shop the park bookstore.
The Trail Head Museum offers an exploration of the history of the Gila Cliff Dwellings and the Mogollon people who called it home in the late 1200s. There's also an area to discover the natural history of the surrounding Gila Wilderness and plan your back country experience. Park staff are available to interpret, answer questions and help plan visits and hikes. Come discover your heritage and your public lands!
