On Friday we took a trip to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument which is located in the Gila National Forest about 50 miles North of Silver City, New Mexico. The cave dwellings were built in the late 1200's by the Mogollon people and were only occupied for about 20 to 30 years. They are quite amazing - the dwellings are built in natural caves on the side of a sandstone cliff several hundred feet above the valley floor.
On the way to the site we crossed the Continental Divide at Pinos Altos, New Mexico.
The sandstone cliffs in which the cliff dwellings are located (on the back side)
The first view of the dwellings as you hike up the trail to them
Another view a little further up
Panoramic view as you approach the dwellings
The first cave (there are seven altogether)
A room inside one of the caves
The trail back down to the valley floor
The Gila River in the valley below the caves - the source of water for the cliff dwellers
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