RV Hometown

New Mexico Sights

Seeing New Mexico by RV

Silver City, New Mexico Day Trips:

Paul had heard about The Catwalk and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, so while we were in New Mexico the fall of 2001 we decided to pay them both a visit. Both are far enough north of Silver Springs to require day trips. We elected to stay in Silver Springs rather than put the miles on our RV since we only had a couple of days to spend in the area.

The Catwalk is a 250 foot metal causeway that clings to the sheer cliffs of Whitewater Canyon and is suspended 20 feet about the stream bed below. Originally the Catwalk was wooden and supported a pipeline to the Graham Mill. The Catwalk offers a beautiful place to hike and picnic. It is a good half day trip from Silver City. Take Highway 180 north north/west approximately 67 miles (Mile Marker 50.5) to State Road 174. Turn east on State Road 174 and go five miles to the Catwalk. $3/carload.

The Little Fanny Mine produced millions of dollars in gold and silver for the residents of Mogollon in the 1880's. Today the town is sparsely populated, yet the buildings are well preserved. Several miles of the mountain road to Mogollon narrow to one lane road with switchbacks, adding to the authenticity of the town. The drive along this paved road is beautiful. Warning: This road is not one to take your RV down. From the turn off Highway 180 to the Catwalk go north on Highway 180 approximately 3 miles (Mile Marker 47). Turn east on State Road 159 and travel 9 miles to Mogollon.

On a second day we left Silver City for the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. This trip takes approximately 5-6 hours as the roads are very windy. Again, not a good place to take an RV. The visitor center encouraged us to take the entire loop to the cliff dwellings. If we were to do it again we would go up and back on State Road 15 and bypass State Roads 152 and 35. 

The Loop: Take Hwy. 180 east to State Road 152 (9 miles). At Mile Marker 6 on State Road 152 is the Chino Open Pit Copper Mine. Whether you have seen a large open pit mine before or not, this is one worth stopping to see. Watch for the large parking lot just for viewing. (Travel 14 miles on State Road 152 to State Road 35.)

Turn north on State Road 35 and continue to State Road 15 (26 miles). When you reach State Road 15 turn north and travel 19 more miles to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.

There is a one mile loop hike up a cool canyon and one side of the mountain to the cliff dwellings. The return trail takes you down the other side of the mountain towards a river where the residents of the cliff dwelling once grew crops. Along the trail up you get several views of the cliff dwellings which have 42 rooms in five natural caves. Small fee.

We returned 44 miles along the sometimes narrow and winding State Road 15 to Silver City, with a stop in Pinos Altos. Of interest here are the Hearst Church, which was originally built in 1898 with funds from the Hearst family. It now houses the Grant County Art Guild.

While we didn't go in the Pinos Altos Museum the log cabin that housed the museum looked interesting.

The Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House is a hoot! You walk into a large bar with a wood stove fired up on cold evenings right inside the doorway. Shut your eyes and you are likely to envision all sorts of things going on here in days gone by. To the right of the bar is the restaurant which has a fireplace roaring at each end on those cold days. If you are lucky, as we were, you will be seated right in front of the fireplace. The food and service were excellent and the portions large. The price was a little on the high side, but the experience was worth it once. Be sure to make reservations if you plan to have dinner. (SB 11/01)

2007

Jaimie and George spent a couple of weeks in Taos and Santa Fe. See these blog entries for description and photos of some neat things to do in that area:

Jaimie Hall- Bruzenak