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The desert, mountains and forests of southwestern New Mexico are often the forgotten gems of the state. Santa Fe and Albuquerque to the north and Ruidoso to the east receive more of the glory and visitors - and that's part of the beauty to staying in the southwest. Here are some tips and suggestions from a recent weekend trip we made through the area. Great places to camp are everywhere or the town of Silver City makes an excellent "base camp" for a two or three day visit to the area. The town is only three and a half hours from El Paso by car. There are many small but clean motels available along with quite a few restaurants. The entire area is known for its history of silver and gold mining booms in the late 1800's. The Silver City Chamber of Commerce has several brochures detailing driving tours through the Gila National Forest and surrounding area that can be picked up around town or by calling (800) 548-9378. Silver City is the home of Western New Mexico University and has a quaint downtown filled with shops and stores. You can spend a day looking around this town that Billy the Kid called home. We also made day trips out of Silver City. One our first full day we traveled to the northwest about an hour and a half to a park within the Gila National Forest called the Catwalk. There's an beautiful trail that winds up alongside a sycamore shaded stream. In areas where the trail becomes narrow you'll walk on a suspended "catwalk" over the stream. This present catwalk replaced a gravity fed waterline that supplied water and power to a nearby ore mill in days gone by. The picnic areas at the bottom are a great place to relax after your hike. From the Catwalk its only an hour drive to the semi-ghost town of Mogollon. Located nine miles up a winding road from the main highway, Mogollon claimed over 3,000 residents during a gold mining boom in the 1880's. Today only a few hardy souls live in this remote village. Walking between the three or four shops you'll get a feel what life was like over 100 years ago. On our second day we visited the area's most well-known attraction, the Gila Cliff Dwellings. Situated at an elevation of over 7,000 feet in the middle of the Gila National Forest are the remains of 42 well-preserved rooms that date back 700 years. You can walk up a trail and through the caves where the Indians actually lived. From the Cliff Dwellings we travelled south toward Deming and stopped at the City of Rocks State Park. This group of rocks, some over 30 feet tall are scattered over several acres. You can camp or picnic in the area and the main attraction is certainly climbing on these big "toys". We headed south on our third day. Fifty miles south of Silver City is the town of Deming. The Deming-Luna Mimbres Museum houses a great collection of farm and ranch memorabilia in the historic Armory Building. Just outside of town are two great parks, Rochhound State Park and Spring Canyon Park. Thirty miles south of Deming is the historic town of Columbus, which was attacked by Pancho Villa in 1916. Pancho Villa State Park is located in the center of Columbus. The Mexican border is just 3 miles south of Columbus. You can drive or walk across the border into the sleepy town of Palomas, Chihuahua. Don't forget this part of New Mexico when visiting the Southwest. It's a great place to spend a few days or a few weeks. |
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