Gila National Forest
As you leave the Gila Cliff Dwellings NM, you find yourself back in the Gila NF. We actually stayed in more than one spot in the Gila NF, and this is the nicest one. It’s FREE!!!! MY kind of campground!!! Of course, it has no amenities, including garbage service, but who cares? Pack it out. The whole area is just beautiful, and for some strange reason we had the whole campground to ourselves on Friday night. On Saturday, a couple of other misbegotten souls joined us, but they seemed intent on enjoying the silence and the view just like us, so they were no bother.
This is the view from our campsite looking at the opposite side of the gorge, across the river (which no doubt carved out these cliffs).
And here is the river, itself. One can walk down to it (or drive, actually, but we walked). These pictures were taken just as the sun was about to rise over the cliff, so the angles at which I could photograph were severely limited...somehow, taking pictures of the sun results in white photos. Go figure.