Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

National Monument · NM · nps.gov page

Sunrise view of Gila Cliff Dwellings with brilliant sky. — Visitors enjoy panoramic views of the canyon and dwellings at Gila Cliff Dwellings.Photo: NPS/Janice Wei

For thousands of years, groups of nomads used the caves above Cliff Dweller Creek as temporary shelter. In the late 1200s, people of the agricultural Mogollon (Southern Ancestral Pueblo) culture made it a home. They built rooms, crafted pottery and raised children in the cliff dwellings for one or two generations. By approximately 1300, the Mogollon had moved on, leaving the walls behind.

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Photos

View of Mogollon dwelling rooms within a cave. — Tularosa Phase Mogollon people made these caves their home in the late 1200's.Photo: NPS Photo

Cliff Dwellings walls and rooms with narrow catwalk — Most of the dwellings walls are original. Some even preserve a builder's fingerprints that are over 700 years old.Photo: NPS Photo

Exterior view of Mogollon Cliff Dwelling — The T-shaped door suggests trade between Mogollon and Ancestral Puebloan.Photo: NPS Photo

Distant view of Gila river valley and mountains beyond. — The Oldest Wilderness Area in the United States Awaits.Photo: NPS Photo

Light snowfall on red rock cliffs along river. — Winter wonderland along the Gila RiverPhoto: NPS Photo/VIP Janice Wei

Eroded cliffs reflecting off a river — As the first designated Wilderness Area, the Gila offers endless opportunites peaceful reflection.Photo: NPS Photo/Janice Wei

Park information and photos come from the National Park Service. This is not an official NPS site.