Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center
The Byway can be accessed at Silver City. Informative tourist and Byway information is available at the Silver City - Grant County Visitor Center located on NM 90 (also known as Hudson Street within Silver City), nine-tenths of a mile west of US 180. Travelers may also obtain tourist and Byway information at the Gila National Forest Headquarters in Silver City, Gila National Forest district ranger stations, and at the Gila Cliff Dwellings visitor center. Travelers with an interest in birding may obtain a copy of The Southwestern New Mexico Birding Map at the Silver City - Grant County Visitor Center.  The Chamber's web site is available at www.silvercity.org.

 

Silver City
Silver City has survived the mining boom and bust to become a delightfully eclectic modern community.

 

Sitting at 6,000 feet elevation, Silver City features mild winters and cool summers, the Silver City Museum, Western NM University Museum, delightful Mexican food, fine dining, great history, shopping and art galleries. All these beckon you to spend more time and continue returning to the Byway. If time permits, visitors may wish to tour the Silver City Museum and the Western New Mexico University Museum to learn about the area’s rich historical and archeological points of interest. The town's website is available at www.townofsilvercity.org.

 

Pinos Altos
Six miles north of Silver City on NM 15, the traveler discovers the old gold mining settlement of Pinos Altos (Spanish for "Tall Pines"), founded in 1860. Pinos Altos has a rich and colorful history.

 

The town was once the county seat and is currently the home of the old Hearst Church, the Opera House, Fort Cobre, Grant County’s first courthouse and jail, the County’s first private schoolhouse, and a historical saloon from the 1960s that is still operating. Artifacts from the old mining days can be seen at Fort Cobre, the Opera House and the Pinos Altos Museum.  More community information is available at www.pinosaltos.org.

 

Gila National Forest
From Pinos Altos, the Gila National Forest beckons in the distance with a promise of the discoveries to come on the Byway. Almost one-fourth of the forest is designated wilderness, promoted by the pioneering ecologist and conservationist Aldo Leopold. The Gila Wilderness was set aside in 1924, and became the first federally designated Wilderness in the United States. More information is available on line at www2.srs.fs.fed.us/r3/gila/.

 

Continental Divide
Continuing north on NM 15 at Mile Post (MP) 7.7, the Continental Divide Trail crosses the road. This trail is a premier national scenic hiking trail that stretches from the Mexican border to Canada. More information on the Trail is available on line at www.cdtrail.org.

 

Nearby, the traveler can stop and explore a re-created mining site (an arrastra). NM 15 is a beautiful but winding road that includes dense forest, spectacular vistas, and several roadside campgrounds (no fee). The vistas include Bear Creek and Cherry Creek (MP 12.2), with magnificent Gila Conglomerate cliffs. Cherry Creek’s source can be traced from Signal Peak (MP14.9). The summit of Signal Peak, which is accessible by an unpaved road or by a hiking trail, is worth a visit for its vistas, as well as for historical interest. In the 1880’s, the U.S. Army used the site to maintain communications among its forces via heliograph during the period of conflict between the miners and early ranchers and the indigenous Apache Indians.

 

Clinton P. Anderson Vista
The Clinton P. Anderson (Copperas) Vista is one of many vistas on the Byway. Crossing the Sapillo Valley (NM 35 junction) and continuing north on NM 15, the visitor climbs high into the beautiful Gila National Forest, cresting on the spine of the mountains, where it seems one can see forever. At the Anderson Vista (7440 ft. elevation, MP 33.6) the rugged Gila Wilderness and the scenic Gila River valley lie before you. A Gila National Forest interpretative site is co-located with the Vista.

 

The Forks of the Gila River
As the traveler proceeds from the crest of the mountains and descends into the Gila River Valley below, the tiny community of Gila Hot Springs (MP 39) is approached, offering thermal hot springs, a store and gasoline. The thermal hot springs located near the river here have been used by the area’s human inhabitants through the ages. The three forks of the Gila River also converge in this area as the river course winds its way to Yuma, Arizona. Several forest campgrounds can be found in the area, and there is a private campground offering use of the hot springs. The magnificent Gila Conglomerate cliffs and rock formations, and the large cottonwoods lining the river banks are a pure delight.

 

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (MP 43.7) is located at the northern terminus of NM 15. The Dwellings consist of a series of natural caves used as homes by the people of the Mogollón culture who lived here in the 13th Century. A tour of the Dwellings offers a compelling image of what life was like for the Mogollón in their prehistoric lifetimes. The Gila Cliff Dwellings Visitor Center houses a nature and artifact museum, and provides information on the Gila National Forest lands and recreational opportunities. To the west at the trail to the Dwellings is a contact station providing information and self-guided tour brochures. More information is available on line at www.nps.gov/gicl/.

 

Lake Roberts
Returning south to NM 35 and continuing to Lake Roberts (MP 24), a 75-acre lake, beckons fishermen, hiking enthusiasts, and birders to experience the natural beauty of the area. Overlooking the west end of the lake lie the "Vista Ruins," an interpretive Mimbres pit house site. As many as 10 species of hummingbirds may be observed in summer at feeding stations along NM 35 at local inns in the Lake Roberts area (e.g., Spirit Canyon Lodge, Grey Feathers Lodge). From top: Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Lake Roberts from NM 35.

 

Continental Divide/Sapillo Valley
Two miles east from Lake Roberts, the Sapillo Campground affords the visitor an opportunity to hike the CD Trail. Six miles further at the geographic CD (6,599 ft.; MP 15.6), water either flows west from the Divide to the Pacific Ocean or east to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Mimbres Valley
As the traveler continues south on NM 35 paralleling the Mimbres River, the ponderosa pines begin to thin and are replaced by pinons and junipers. The rugged mountains change to enormous hills surrounding the picturesque Upper Mimbres Valley. The valley is home to farms, ranches, orchards, and Bear Canyon Lake (fishing and irrigation). Many settlement areas of the prehistoric Mimbres culture are located in the valley and on Gila National Forest lands. A stunning collection of black-on-white Mimbres pottery and other artifacts created by these ancient people can be seen at Western New Mexico University Museum in Silver City.

 

San Lorenzo
The old Spanish settlement of San Lorenzo can be explored in the vicinity of the junction of NM 35 and NM 152. The lovely San Lorenzo Catholic Church is a peaceful reminder of the area’s spiritual and cultural heritage.

 

Open Pit Copper Mine
Turning west on NM 152, you can view the enormous Phelps Dodge Chino open pit copper mine at a viewpoint located at MP 6. Copper was extracted from this area as early as the eighteenth century. To the east copper solutions are electrowinned into 999 copper plates. The Kneeling Nun rock formation, which is associated with an old legend, can be viewed in the distance (MP 3 and MP 12).

 

Fort Bayard
Turning west on US 180, the traveler reaches the Santa Clara and Fort Bayard junction. Proceeding toward Fort Bayard, the traveler has the opportunity to visit a 19th century U.S. Army post. The Fort was recently designated a National Historic Landmark. In the past, it was home to several companies of Buffalo Soldiers who were charged with halting Apache raids on the region’s settlers and miners. A bronze statue honors Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Norman Greaves. A National Cemetery and a wildlife refuge are also located at the Fort. Nearby Bayard and Santa Clara played an important role in early area history. From top: Cooks Peak from NM 35 near Bear Canyon Lake, the Santa Rita open pit copper mine from NM 152 and a reenactment at the Ft. Bayard National Historic Landmark.