Hiking New Mexico S Gila Wilderness

New Mexico's 555,000-acre Gila Wilderness is a vast untrammeled patchwork of virtually unlimited forest types, climatic conditions, and wildlife. This rugged landscape boasts sweeping tundra, hot springs, mountain views, and deep gnarled canyons. Within Gila's boundaries, you can follow trails to views of the breathtaking peaks of the Mogollon Range, wonder at ancient cliff dwellings, and wind your way along stream-ribboned ponderosa forests.

New Mexico's 555,000-acre Gila Wilderness is a vast untrammeled patchwork of virtually unlimited forest types, climatic conditions, and wildlife.

This guide contains the most wild and rugged portion the Black Range, with its deep canyons and ridges rising above desert. A short section of the Continental Divide Trail is only part of the many miles that unfold in this excellent hiking guide. TWS

* Offers hikes for all fitness levels and a "Trails-at-a-Glance" feature to help select the right hike for you * Hikes for all of New Mexico in this popular guidebook New Mexico offers a surprising variety of terrain to explore through its trails, from the Chihuahuan Desert in the south to remarkable alpine lakes in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the north. In this guidebook to New Mexico's impressive trails, author Craig Martin includes easy 1- and 2-mile day hikes, numerous 8- to 12-mile hikes, and difficult 20-plus-mile backpacking trails for the more ardent adventurers. Interesting on-the-trail information such as the history of old mining camps, homesteads, and ghost towns is provided. Most hikes are quickly accessible from the urban centers of Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

The first guide to hiking the gorgeous landscape of New Mexico gets even better with this new edition. Veteran hiker and outdoor writer Craig Martin offers a remarkable variety of terrain to explore: from the Chihuahuan Desert in the south to extraordinary alpine lakes in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the north. Learn about the history of old mining camps, homesteads, and ghost towns. Experience stunning scenery such as hot springs, waterfalls, badlands, ancient settlements, and more. Book jacket.

This comprehensive guide to New Mexico's wild lands includes not only such well-known areas as the Gila and Pecos wildernesses, but also lesser-known regions such as Latir Peaks, Apache Kid, and Bisti De-na-zin wildernesses. It also provides an inventory of the state's more than 50 "wilderness study areas" -- the wilderness areas of the future. With text by New Mexico author Bob Julyan and illustrated with pictures by Tom Till, one of the Southwest's finest outdoor photographers, the book provides a richly colored portrait of New Mexico's wilderness heritage, including suggestions for hikers and insights into each area's unique natural and human history.

From Upper Sonoran desert canyons to sub alpine mountain peaks, New Mexico 's Gila Wilderness Area is a world of contrasts and diversity. Named a wilderness region by Congress in 1924, the Gila was the first place in the world to be so protected. Today it encompasses 1,000 square miles and protects the headwaters of the three forks of the Gila River. Blessed with the rich human and natural history, it is home to Indian, Spanish, and Anglo cultures and Central and North American flora and fauna. In this complete guide to the Gila Wilderness Area, John A. Murray explores the region 's natural history, highlights its human history, and provides tips for backcountry trips. The hiking section describes twenty-four trails for both the serious backpacker and the casual day hiker, in all covering some three hundred miles of trail. Each trail description gives directions to the trailhead, length, elevation, level of difficulty, scenic highlights, and natural and human history along the trail.

Ninety-one hikes from the La Luz Trail to the San Mateo and Peloncillo Mountains.