Gila Wilderness
Pack Trips
Horseback riding through the Gila Wilderness of Southwest New Mexico. A great way to see an abundance of beauty and human history!
Riding in the Middle Fork Canyon delivers a horseback journey that transcends any in America.
There are winding narrow canyon trails that continually cross free-flowing water. Along the canyon, see the ever-changing wall landscapes of towering hoodoos and rock formations carved over millions of years.
Wildlife Sightings
Possible to see many animals around every turn of the canyon, such as rare birds that hunt up and down the canyon. Beavers build dams that provide habitat for the freshwater trout. Bobcats leap the rocky edges, elk bugle, Mexican Grey Wolves roam, and bears meander.
Other wildlife we see include:
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Javelina (Collared Peccary)
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Mule Deer
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Elk
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Bear
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Ringtail Cat
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White-Nosed Coati
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Albert’s Squirrel
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Puma
Bird Life in the Gila
Creek Canyon Bird List as recorded by Cedar Koons on August 18-22, 2024.
See these birds on the trail and at base camp:
- Great Blue Heron
- Common Merganser
- Bald Eagle
- Turkey Vulture
- Common Raven
- Black-Chinned Hummingbird
- Rufous Hummingbird
- Wilson’s Warbler
- American Crow
- American Robin
- Steller’s Jay
- Scaled Quail
- Northern Flicker
- American Kestrel
- Wild Turkey
- Mourning Dove
- Spotted Towhee
- Western Tanager
- Mountain Chickadee
- Hairy Woodpecker
- American Goldfinch
- Pygmy Nuthatch
- Red-Tailed Hawk
- Yellow-Rumped Warbler
- Common Yellowthroat
Birds heard in camp and recorded on Merlin:
- Spotted Owl
- Great Horned Owl
- Burrowing Owl
- Flammulated Owl
- Mexican Whippoorwill
- Hutton’s Vireo
- Brown Creeper
- Common Night Hawk
- Common Loon
- Painted Redstart
- Acorn Woodpecker
- Lucy’s Warbler
- Black-throated Grey Warbler
And many other birds visit during migration, including hummingbirds.
Fishing Expeditions
Catch ’em during the day, fry ’em in the evening. Brown and Rainbow Native Gila Trout swim along the Middle Fork. Easy to fish while in base camp along the river and near the Beaver ponds.
Star Gazing
Dark skies and high elevation offer the best stargazing.
It looks like you can reach out
and touch them.
Each Day a New Riding Destination
Each day is unique with a different destination. We ride upstream along the Middle Fork River, to mountain vistas that demonstrate the magnitude of this wilderness, explore pine forests and meadows to observe the life of remote solitude the homesteaders lived in the past. And continue the exploration of the area as we see the Ancient Mogollon Cliff Dwellings that allow us to consider how our ancestors lived.
Base Camp
Is set along a stunning side canyon of the Middle Fork River. You will have all the amenities to rest after a day of exploration with roomy tents, cots, toilet facilities, hot showers, and natural swimming holes.
Pricing
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$275.00/Day plus 9.1% tax5 day pack trips
Booking Information:
U-Trail Horseback Adventures
46 Wild Horse Road, PO Box 66
Glenwood, NM 88039
Email:
utrail@gilanet.com
Cell:
575-519-8569
Skype:
575-519-8569
