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You want a peaceful, primitive base camp for hiking Gila Cliff Dwellings and exploring the West Fork canyon.
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Price
Varies
Booking
Walk-in Only
Sites
Varies
Season
Year-round
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
Select a month, then check for open campsites
Price
Varies
Booking
Walk-in Only
Sites
Varies
Season
Year-round
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
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You want a peaceful, primitive base camp for hiking Gila Cliff Dwellings and exploring the West Fork canyon.
You need marked trailheads from camp or can't sleep through nightly frog choruses.
Context for the broader area surrounding Lower Scorpion Campground, sourced from the federal Recreation.gov rec-area record.
For thousands of years, groups of nomads used the caves above Cliff Dweller Creek as temporary shelter. In the late 1200s, people of the agricultural Mogollon (Southern Ancestral Pueblo) culture made it a home. They built rooms, crafted pottery and raised children in the cliff dwellings for one or two generations. By approximately 1300, the Mogollon had moved on, leaving the walls behind.
Passenger vehicles can drive north of Silver City, New Mexico to the monument on NM Hwy 15. The 46 mile trip can take up to two hours due to the narrow and mountainous curving nature of the road. RVs and vehicles pulling trailers should NOT use NM Hwy 15. From Silver City, take US Highway 180 to Santa Clara. Turn left onto NM Hwy 152 and drive to San Lorenzo. At San Lorenzo, turn left onto NM Hwy 35 and follow it to its termination at NM Hwy 15. Turn right on NM Hwy 15 and follow signs to the park.
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Best season: summer. Summer offers the warmest, most accessible weather for exploring the West Fork Gila River canyon and visiting Gila Cliff Dwellings — expect daytime highs roughly in the mid-70s to mid-80s°F (24–30°C) with cool nights in the 40s–50s°F (5–12°C). River access, longer daylight, and peak hiking/wildlife-viewing opportunities make June and early September especially rewarding, though afternoon monsoon storms can bring brief heavy showers and lightning in July–August. Crowd levels rise around holiday/ Peak months: June, September, May, October
June–early Sept cited as best balance; summer highs mid-70s to mid-80s with cool nights.
No water is available at this campground, closest source wood be Woody's, TJ Corral, or the Visitor Center
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