Because of its remote location, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and the surrounding Gila Wilderness suffer few of the problems that parks closer to urban areas do. There are relatively few invasive species and little air or light pollution. There is seldom any extraneous noise, although some may come on rare occasion from low-flying airliners or rowdy campers. Giardia may be present in the rivers, streams, and springs and therefore all water obtained in the backcountry or from untreated sources should be filtered using a .2 micron filter. Vistas from ridge and mountaintops may be spectular and the weather is usually pleasant during the summer, although it may very hot during the drier months.
Did You Know?
In 2003, a park employee found a piece of a stone scraper within view of Carlsbad Cavern's entrance that goes back to Ice Age Indian hunters. In 2004, archeologists found fragments of two spear points of the Midland-style Paleo Indian projectile points of some 10,000 years ago.