The scenery quickly became spectacular with odd shaped, columnar rocks on both sides. We stopped for photos on barely noticeable pull outs and then continued a short distance to the next photo op.
The road was extremely curvy with quite a few blind switchbacks and our speed rarely got over 30, even on the straightaways. There were hardly any railings on the curves and the drop to the bottom was considerable.
After 10 stops for pictures, (that's one every 4 miles!) we finally arrived at the Gila National Forest visitor center. We had a lovely chat with the volunteer and a walk through the exhibits. She told us the proper way of pronouncing the word Mogollon. It's Mug-e-yon. Hmmmmm. These were the indians that inhabited this area and were thought to have used the caves in the cliffs as their dwellings. Turns out, the caves were used as ceremonial chambers, not actual living spaces. All of the volunteers that we encountered on our hike were full of great information.
We drove on up to the beginning of the cliff tour.
It's a 1 mile hike through the canyon, crossing the creek several times and up an old trail.
For most all of the walk, you can see the caves waaaaaay up in the cliffs.
And the photo ops get better the closer we get.
We rounded the last curve in the path and arrived at the entrance to cave 3.
There are actually 7 caves in the formation.
Caves 1 and 2 are not accessible any longer and it is believed that they were used for food storage and perhaps a communal kitchen. The foundations are still intact as well as a hearth and 2 circular depressions for cooking pots.
There are 40 rooms within the 6 used caves at the Gila Cliff Dwellings. Most are too small to be living areas and archaeologists believe that the Mogollon lived in pueblos on a nearby mesa where they gardened and caught small animals. The caves appear to be used for storage and ceremonies.
This small building was used as a storage and drying area for animal skins. 80% of the walls and buildings are original construction with the remaining 20% to maintain the structures.
I was amazed that we are allowed inside the caves. This is such an archaeological treasure! We climbed a stairway into cave 3 and could wander from cave to cave, up to cave 6. This is the main room from the outside. The T shaped opening was a door that was accessed by ladders. The Mogollon must have been small, muscular people, because that opening is not very big. Also, the wood timbers in the walls are all original wood. Fascinating!
How would like this view from your window each day?
We spent a long time inside the caves admiring the handiwork and pictographs on the walls. There were several volunteers in the caves available to answer questions, of which we had a million.
When it was time to exit, Doug climbed down the ladder from cave 6.
I, on the other hand, got cold feet and retreated back the way we came in. Believe me, it was a long drop if you missed a step.
What an amazing day! We headed back down to the parking lot just before the park closed for the day. You get some perspective of how high we were when you look down on the parking lot.
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