the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway. The highway follows the Mimbres River upstream, through the town of Mimbres. Twenty miles farther along is Lake Roberts, a small but quite beautiful lake popular with trout fishermen and bird-watchers. There are cabins and motel rooms for rent here, and a lovely campground. Four miles beyond the lake is the intersection with NM 15; turn right (north) and follow it all the way to the end, about 18 miles, to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. The road to the ruins is narrow and winding, very slow going, with some sheer drop-offs and many hairpin turns posted as low as 10 mph—and for good reason! At one point, the highway skirts the edge of a collapsed volcanic caldera. Timeworn, overgrown, but still plainly visible, the caldera is a graphic reminder of the region’s violent geological past. Stop at Anderson Scenic Overlook for a breathtaking view of the Mogollon Range, the tallest mountains in southwestern New Mexico, and Gila River Canyon, 2,000 feet below.
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Continuing north on NM 15 you’ll pass Gila Hot Springs a few miles before the end of the road. Much of this area is geothermally active and there are several natural hot springs nearby, some on public land, some private. There are a few campsites here, with access to the hot springs included.
At the National Monument visitors center, you can pick up maps and information about the ruins and the trails in the park. Even if you’ve seen your share of cliff dwellings, you’ll find this one is special. The setting is a narrow, wooded canyon with a perennial stream. On the west side of the ravine there’s a sheer cliff, and hollowed out from the face of it, high above the canyon floor, you can see a series of natural alcoves: interconnected caves that are open to the morning sun. In the late 13th century, a small group of perhaps 15 farming families from the Native American culture we now call the Mogollon moved into the caves and built an elaborate communal home there.
It was a perfect spot: protected from the elements, easily defended, close to water. A lot of craftsmanship went into the construction, and the wonderful organic structure that they created is still standing and largely intact. There are graceful, curving walls built of flat stones stacked like bricks, cemented with adobe mortar, and then plastered. The walls enclose more than 40 interconnected rooms that fill the alcoves: large common areas, smaller private living quarters, a granary. Many of the outward-facing walls had windows, and some sections were left open. Clearly, the builders appreciated their view!
There’s a tour every day at 11 a.m., but you can hike to the ruins and explore them on your own any time between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., when the park closes. It takes about an hour to see the ruins, including the 1-mile hike up and back.
Gila River Valley, 2000 feet below New Mexico Route 15
Leaving the ruins, head back the way you came in, on NM 15. When you reach the junction with NM 35, bear right, staying with NM 15, which continues south from here to Pinos Altos, at an altitude of more than 7,000 feet. The distance isn’t great, just 30 miles from the national monument, but it will seem much farther. This is a wonderful corkscrew of a road, but it’s very, very narrow, with poor shoulders, no center stripe, and very few signs, so you have to take it slow. Be extremely careful on blind curves, as there is little room to pass vehicles coming from the other direction. I would not recommend driving this stretch in the dark, so if you’re not staying the night at Lake Roberts or camping near the monument, be sure to be on your way south well before dusk.
Pinos Altos (Tall Pines), once a booming gold-mining town, was largely abandoned more than 100 years ago. It has found new life as a recreation area for the desert dwellers in Silver City and points south. The Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House is a restaurant and bar that offers live music several nights a week, and Bear Creek Motel & Cabins is a quite decent place to stay, if you’re ready to call it a day at this point.
| Gila Cliff Dwellings Highlights |
| Lake Roberts Cabins & General Store869 NM 35 N., Silver City, NM 88061(575) 536-9929lakeroberts.comGila Hot Springs CampgroundHC 68, Box 80, Silver City, NM 88061(575) 536-9944gilahotspringscampground.comGila Cliff Dwellings National Monument(575) 536-9461nps.gov/giclBuckhorn Saloon and Opera House32 Main St., Pinos Altos, NM 88053(575) 538-9911buckhornsaloonandoperahouse.comBear Creek Motel & Cabins88 Main St., Pinos Altos, NM 88053(575) 388-4501bearcreekcabins.com |
Silver City
From Pinos Altos, it’s less than 10 miles to historic Silver City, which stands at 5,900 feet. The pine trees disappear as you descend, and the surrounding area more closely resembles the sagebrush-and-juniper landscape you left behind earlier on this route. Silver City was a mining town first prospected in the 1870s, when New Mexico was still a territory. The Silver City Museum, located in a historic home in the old downtown area, has an interesting collection of artifacts and thousands of photographs from the early days of the town. The Western New Mexico University Museum, also in town, has an excellent collection of Mimbres pottery and baskets.
Silver City is, without a doubt, the best overnight stopping place in this part of the state, considering all the great options for lodging: The Palace, a hotel dating to the late 1800s; Murray Hotel, an Art Deco-style establishment dating to the late 1930s; and The Inn on Broadway, a historic bed-and-breakfast in the heart of the old downtown.
City of Rocks State Park, Silver City, NM
| City of Rocks and the Chino Copper Mine LoopBefore leaving the Silver City area, consider this optional loop, which will take you an extra 83 miles and requires about 2 hours. Follow US 180 south toward Deming. After 30 miles, at the junction with NM 61, turn left and follow signs to City of Rocks State Park (327 NM 61, Faywood, NM; 575-536-2800). The park is 5 miles east, set back a bit from the road. The main attraction is a wild display of standing stones: massive volcanic boulders as much as 40 feet tall, carved by the elements over millions of years into an extraordinary variety of shapes and poses. If it had been created by man instead of nature, this place would be far more famous than Stonehenge. There’s a cool campground with some campsites nestled among the rock formations, and there are hiking trails. Other popular activities include birding, stargazing, and rock climbing (free climbing only).From City of Rocks, drive 22 miles north on NM 61, following the Mimbres River upstream to San Lorenzo. At the intersection with NM 152, turn west and drive another 10 miles to the northern edge of the Chino Copper Mine, an open pit that’s a mile and three-quarters wide and a quarter of a mile deep. Pull over at the Chino Mine Overlook, where you can view the whole operation. The trucks working on the terraced slopes below look like toys from the rim of the pit. Up close? Each of those 80-ton ore haulers is nearly the size of a two-story house! This mine has been actively worked since the time of the Spanish conquistadores. The pit you see today was opened in 1910, making it the third-oldest, as well as the second-largest pit-mining operation in the world.From the overlook, take NM 152 west to NM 356 and follow that road south past mountains of tailings from the pit. At Bayard, you’ll rejoin US 180, back to Silver City. |
Note. If you’re planning to take Scenic Side Trip 3 immediately after this one, you should definitely stay in Silver City. You’ll not only have a better selection of hotels, you’ll save some time and distance, because that route, which starts in Lordsburg, comes right back through Silver City on its way north.
| Silver City Highlights | |
| Silver City Museum (The Ailman House)312 W. Broadway, Silver City, NM 88061(575) 538-5921silvercitymuseum.orgWestern
| |
