Due to the continuing concerns surrounding COVID-19 and in conjunction with our park partner Western National Parks Association (WNPA), the Gila Visitor Center and Gila Cliff Dwellings Trailhead Museum will be closed until further notice. The monument itself will remain open at this time allowing access to the one-mile loop trail to visit the dwellings. Staff will be available at the dwellings but all guided tours that were previously scheduled are cancelled.

National Park Service Rangers and staff will be available in the Visitor Center parking lot and at the trailhead to answer visitor questions and give directions for things to see and do in the area. There will also be small stations with park information, brochures, the park stamp and a model of the dwellings for those unable to visit the dwellings.

For visitors looking for things to do there are several options nearby that will not be affected by the closures. A visit to the Trail to the Past starts at the Lower Scorpion Campground parking lot and leads to several pictographs and a small two room dwelling from approximately the same time period as the dwellings at the monument.

At the pullout between Lower Scorpion Campground and TJ Corral is the West Fork Ruin site. Here visitors can learn about the people who built homes here from Early Pithouse Phase all the way to the modern Homesteaders of the area.

There is also access to many miles of wilderness trails from the four different trailheads near the Gila Visitor Center. These include Middle Fork, Woody’s Corral, TJ Corral, and West Fork Trailheads. Be advised that the trails starting at Middle Fork and West Fork follow the same route as the river and include river crossings so come prepared to get wet. Check current conditions before starting your hike with park staff or by going online to USGS Water Resources: National Water Information System.