Silver City, NM, June 19, 2020—For Immediate Release. The Gila National Forest will be reopening three more developed recreation sites this weekend. Forest Services officials are working hard to reopen sites as soon as possible and as conditions allow. Some of the factors considered when deciding to open a site include state and local health and safety guidelines, seasonal availability and facility conditions. The sites that will be reopening are Ben Lilly Campground on the Reserve District, and Juniper and Piñon Campgrounds on Quemado Ranger District. The Piñon and Juniper Campgrounds will not have potable water available nor will the dump site be open. There is a fee associated with using these two campgrounds.
All of these campgrounds are on a first-come first serve basis. Reminder – the Gila National Forest has a 14-day stay limit for all campsites. A list showing all of the open campgrounds on the Gila is attached.
On April 15, 2020 the USDA’s Forest Service Southwestern Region enacted a campfire ban. The following is prohibited under the April 15 campfire restriction order:
Igniting, building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, including charcoal grills, barbecues, coal and wood burning stoves.
Violating the campfire ban may result in an appearance in federal court, fines, and possible time in jail. Forest visitors will still be able to use pressurized liquid or gas devices (stoves, grills or lanterns) with shut-off valves, in an area at least three feet from any flammable materials.
We encourage visitors to contact our ranger districts or check the Gila National Forest website for specific recreation sites prior to traveling or making plans. Closure information can be found on the Southwestern Region website at http://fs.usda.gov/goto/r3/safety.
Visit the Interactive Visitor Map at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ivm for more information on available activities. For additional information on COVID-19, go to https://www.coronavirus.gov. For information on the Gila National Forest, check out our website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/gila.
GILA NATIONAL FOREST
OPEN DEVELOPED RECREATION SITES BY RANGER DISTRICT
Black Range Ranger District
o Emory Pass Vista
o Kingston Campground
o Wolf Hollow Campground
Glenwood Ranger District
o Catwalk National Recreation Trail (day use area)
o Whitewater Picnic Area (day use area)
Quemado Ranger District
o Cove Day Use Area
o Piñon Campground
o Juniper Campground
o Quemado Lake Recreation Area to include boat launch area
Reserve Ranger District
o Aeroplane Mesa Campground
o Apache Creek Campground
o Ben Lilley Campground
o Dipping Vat Campground
o Snow Lake Recreation Area
Silver City Ranger District
o Iron Creek Campground
o Mogollon Box Day Use Area
o Railroad Canyon Campground
o Upper Gallinas Campground
Wilderness Ranger District
o Forks Campground
o Lake Roberts Boat Launch
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (Contact them for more information)
o Upper and Lower Scorpion Campgrounds