USFS · New Mexico

Gila National Forest

The Gila National Forest is a United States national forest in New Mexico. Established in 1905, it now covers approximately 2,710,659 acres (10,969.65 km2), making it the sixth largest national forest in the continental United States. The Forest administration also manage the part of the Apache National Forest in New Mexico which covers 614,202 acres for a total of 3.3 million acres managed by the Gila National Forest. Within the forest, the Gila Wilderness was established in 1924 as the US's first designated wilderness. The Aldo Leopold Wilderness and Blue Range Wilderness are also found within its borders. The Blue Range Primitive Area lies within Arizona in the neighboring Apache National Forest.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest3.4 million acresUSFSNM32 campgrounds within 10 mi151 Forest Service sites236 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4 fires
active
Rx Sapillo Piles Fy27 (prescribed burn) · 33 mi from the center · 20 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateNew Mexico
Size3.4 million acres
Forest Service code0306, region 03
Center point33.41° N, 108.41° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18)

Boundary map

2 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Gila National Forest30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 1.01 inches of precipitation, 3.0 inches of snowFebruary: 0.95 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowMarch: 0.69 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowApril: 0.41 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowMay: 0.52 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 0.66 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 2.67 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.07 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.81 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.18 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowNovember: 1.03 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowDecember: 1.17 inches of precipitation, 1.3 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 37.0°F averageFebruary: 40.8°F averageMarch: 46.0°F averageApril: 51.7°F averageMay: 58.4°F averageJune: 66.8°F averageJuly: 71.2°F averageAugust: 70.2°F averageSeptember: 64.3°F averageOctober: 54.2°F averageNovember: 44.3°F averageDecember: 37.1°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Gila Hot Springs, 19 miles from the center point at 5,636 feet, station USC00293530 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 15 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 6 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 2,200 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

26 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 6 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Apache Creek Campground
First-come10 sites
FS · Inside
Armijo Springs Campground
First-come5 sites
FS · Inside
Bighorn Campground
First-come6 sites
FS · Inside
Black Canyon Campground - Lower
First-comeNM
FS · Inside
Black Canyon Campground - Upper
First-comeNM
FS · Inside
Cherry Creek Campground
First-come12 sites
FS · Inside
Cosmic Campground International Dark Sky Sanctuary
First-comeNM
FS · Inside
Dipping Vat Campground
First-comeNM
Show 4 more

20 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 151

The Forest Service lists 151 recreation sites in this forest, among them 96 trailheads, 27 campgrounds, 6 picnic areas, 4 viewpoints. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 91 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 236 named trails in this forest, 1,520 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Continental Divide ↗247.4
Middle Fork ↗41.4
West Fork ↗34.4
Gila River ↗32.6
Black Range Crest ↗31.2
Turkey Creek ↗28.5
Lilley Park ↗25.2
Granny Mountain ↗20.4
Mogollon ↗20.3
Diamond Creek ↗18.3

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 236 trails in Gila National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Rx Sapillo Piles Fy27

    33 mi from the center point · 20 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx Papa Road Piles Fy27

    33 mi from the center point · 20 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx Rendezvous Fy27

    34 mi from the center point · 34 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx Terry Well Piles Fy27

    34 mi from the center point · 10 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Monument · Adjacent
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 62 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for New Mexico

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Gila National Forest?

3.4 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Gila National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Gila National Forest in?

New Mexico.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Gila National Forest?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Gila National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 33.413° N, 108.414° W. Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Gila National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx Sapillo Piles Fy27 at 33 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Gila National Forest?

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (adjacent). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Gila National Forest?

The National Register has 62 listings within 15 miles, including Fort Bayard Museum and Education Building and Bearwallow Mountain Lookout Cabins and Shed.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Description: Gila National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.