BACKPACKING IN THE GILA NATIONAL FOREST

Greetings Earthlings!

This spring break, Laura, Ansley, and Ella will be heading down to the amazingly rad, totally tubular Gila National Forest in New Mexico! Woohoo! Get excited! The trip will feature hot springs, cliff dwellings, beautiful scenery, and frequent river crossings. Please join us for the time of your life :)

The Gila National forest is home to Historic Cliff Dwellings, hot springs, and river canyons. The cliff dwellings date back to the 1200s and are a must-see in the region. The hot springs will provide a refreshing break from hiking and are remnants of volcanic activity in the region millions of years ago. Along the river, there are spectacular cliffs and lovely hardwoods.

This trip is beginner/intermediate-friendly. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about difficulty or experience!

We’ll be leaving on Saturday, March 14th early in the morning and returning in the evening on Saturday, March 21st.

We’ll be spending 3 nights and 4 days in the backcountry and 2 nights at the trailhead (one night at each end of the trip). We’ll be stopping on the road to camp on public lands on the way there and back.

We have room for 4 participants in addition to our two leaders and one LIT.

You will need a BP2+ rating or higher (BP3, BP4) to participate on this trip.

The trip deposit will be $260.

(Click HERE to find a link to the Hoofer Ambassador Grant) 

If, for any reason, you will not be paying in full at the time of sign-up, please email us and we will help you work through signing up without a full payment.

Here’s a brief itinerary for our trip:

• Saturday 3/14: leave from Memorial Union in the early morning; camp on public lands (maybe Rita Blanca?) 

• Sunday 3/15: hit the road around 8am, make necessary preparation stops, arrive at trailhead campsite in evening

• Monday 3/16: hike 8-10 miles along the West Fork River; ~1,000ft elevation gain

• Tuesday 3/17: hike 10 miles with about ~1,200ft elevation gain

• Wednesday 3/18: hike 9 miles along the Middle Fork River; ~1,200ft elevation loss

• Thursday 3/19: hike 9-10 miles back to the trailhead; minimal elevation change

• Friday 3/20: begin driving back to Madtown; camp on public lands

• Saturday 3/21: return to Madison, arriving in the evening

Please note that we will be crossing rivers semi-frequently and while it is not necessary to have a swimming rating, you’ll want to be comfortable in water.

To learn more about the Gila National Forest click here.

Also, feel free to reach out to us with any questions! :)

Laura Arneson: larneson2@wisc.edu

Ella Gustafson: ergustafson2@wisc.edu

Ansley Laev: alaev@wisc.edu