Hiking New Mexico's Gila Wilderness: A Guide to the Area's Greatest Hiking Adventures (Regional Hiking Series)

I used this book to plan a trip to Gila Wilderness. The information, maps, and pictures are excellent and proved to be a valuable resource. Each section/hike had its own topographical map which provided terrain information. Information on trails in the Gila National Forest, Aldo Leopold Wilderness, Blue Range Wilderness, and Black Range are NOT included in this guide. It is strictly just the Gila Wilderness. You'll need the Gila National Forest map for that information. If you're planning any day hikes or backpacking trips to the Gila Wilderness, I recommend that you get this guide which I found more resourceful than the Gila National Forest map because of the topographic maps for each trail.

Gift for friend hiking in New Mexico

I'm slowly working my way through these hikes. I have camped my entire life in the GIla and never knew of all these hikes till now.

Seems like a great overview of the Gila. We used it for a trip recently and found some wonderful hikes. I did notice in researching our trip that although this book seems to be the best one out there, either things have changed since it was written or there were errors out of the blocks. Posters have pointed out discrepancies. So I guess if you're planning a long backpacking trip, research from multiple sources.

I love that this new addition includes information on the damage done to trails caused by flooding and fires.

Great, thorough guide book

I used to regularly hike the Gila, and completed two of the longer through hikes: the West Fork (in 1990) and the Middle Fork (in 2010). During the 1980s-90s-etc., historic maps, old blazes and depressions in acres of pine needles could find you some of the most obscure trails. We looked for these out-of-the-way adventures, but found the main trails easy enough to follow. I grieve for the damage done by the 2012 fires and, subsequently, the 2013 super monsoons, but that is nature. (I lived near enough to watch the mushroom-cloud-like smoke "blow up" one day, and for it to obscure my garden.) This book does a good job of updating the trails and covers many of them. I appreciate the work that went into it. I have a couple of notes: 1) the section on Bud's Hole, which is a place we stopped partway through an arduous Rain Creek-74 Mountain-Mogollon Creek journey, appropriately discusses route, wonderful views, and the hot descent in the blazing sun at the end, but fails to mention the most important reason to take this hike: Bud's Hole is a MARVELOUS, deep swimming hole! (Hopefully, it remains so to this day.) 2) the Alum Camp descent was the first and, almost the only time, I successfully got my dog to wear her rawhide booties . The rocks were so sharp and rough, she didn't mind at all. I recommend anyone hiking Gila trails with dogs to always carry appropriate booties, just in case. 3) the section on the Middle Fork trailhead, just off the Gila Visitor Center, mentions limited gravel pad parking and no facilities, which is true--FOR THE TRAILHEAD ITSELF. However, .2 mile is the Visitor Center's enormous, paved parking lot (which I have never, ever seen even 1/10 full) and the Center itself, which has restrooms. And, two campgrounds (Upper and Lower Scorpion) are just down the road. 4) the book advises going east to west (Visitor Center up the Middle Fork to Snow Lake) for the Middle Fork of the Gila route, but we did it the opposite way, which seems to equally popular to us "locals". 5) on any of the River trials, with the hundred or so river crossings, hiking poles are a must, both for stability and to assist in hauling yourself up the steep, slippery river banks. These are not gentle, casual, wade in and out river crossings (for the most part). I upped my upper body workouts prior to my last long hike, and it paid off. This is a marvelous Wilderness area. Go!

I was delighted to find that this excellent guidebook had been recently revised. As you probably know, part of the Gila Wilderness was severely affected by the Whitewater Baldy Fire in 2012. This guide has been carefully updated (as of 2017) to provide information about trail conditions where they have been affected by the fire. That aside, it is an excellent guidebook in every way with maps and lots of nice color photographs.

Compared to other hiking/backpacking regions in the USA, information about the Gila Wilderness region online can be a little patchy. This book solves all that in a heartbeat. The layout, maps and directions are all excellent.Of course, the next problem is when I'll be able to go; but when I can, I'll be well informed!