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"This National Forest is
America's undiscovered treasure, offering endless
trail riding in some of the most spectacular scenery
anywhere."
You will explore the breathtaking canyons, creeks
and meadows of the 'Blue Range' and on some other
dates the 'Middle Fork' of the Gila.
The Gila and the Blue are places of
spectacular beauty tucked away in the Southwest
corner of New Mexico and into Arizona. The Gila lays claim to the title of
America's first and largest wilderness area, but
this unique distinction does not begin to brush the
surface of a powerful country, with the
extraordinary diversity, tranquility and enchantment
guarded at its heart.
Until recently, the Gila National Forest, with its
3.3 million acres of awe-inspiring vistas, peaceful
meadows, majestic rivers and deep, carved out
canyons was a hidden treasure experienced by rugged
trappers of the past and only the hardiest
adventurers of today.
We will take you into remote and wild country giving
you a genuine lift in life. Experience endless
vistas of untouched country, spectacular canyon
riding, deep pools of water and wild life. These
pack trips are suited for every type of rider -
family groups, beginners and advanced
adventure-seeking riders. Each pack trip has the
personal touch by our professional guide with 30
years of safe guiding experience. The rides and
guides provide you with loads of historical & nature
information. Meals are home cooked by the profession
campfire chef. All on horses that are loved and well
taken care of.
Refresh your spirit on a pack trip in Southwest New
Mexico's wilderness.
 RTNM01 
Rates include accommodations, meals starting
with lunch on day
two, 5 riding days, nature guide
6 days/ 5 nights $ 925
Single room on first night $45
Dates 2008:
04/12-04/18 04/26-05/02
05/18-05/24
06/01-06/07 06/22-06/28
07/06-07/12
07/27-08/02 08/17-08/23
08/30-09/05
09/06-09/12 09/20-09/26
10/04-10/10
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7 days/ 6 nights $ 1,095 -
6 riding days
Single room on first night $45
Dates 2008:
03/29-04/04 04/03-04/09
06/14-06/20
07/19-07/25
08/09-08/15
reservations & availability
Taxes:
8.125%
Meeting: Glenwood, NM
Airport: Silver City, NM - El
Paso, TX
Transfer:
transfer from Silver
City incl.
Horses:
Quarter mix
Tack:
Western
Level: All levels
Min/Max: 2-15 riders
Note: All horseback rides include guide/wrangler, saddle
horse and packhorse, camping gear and meals. You provide your own
sleeping bag, ground mat and personal gear. Food provided is a
variety of healthy and popular types.
Note: First day does not include
meals
Day 1: Arrival and overnight at a local B&B
or hotel. Dinner on your own.
Day 2 to 5 (6):
Five (six) riding days with overnights in tents.
Visit the high country of the Gila Wilderness or
into the Blue Wilderness of Arizona. Swim in the most
spectacular pools. Learn about the
historic administrative centers.
Ride the birthplace of Geronimo. See these
little-known and hidden ancient Indian Cliff
Dwellings. Ride along the most unusual and unique
canyon walls in America -- spectacular hoodoo's and
caves. Observe 1000 year-old petro glyphs See the
remains of late 1800's homesteaders. Hear and
see the newly introduced Mexican Gray Wolf See where
the Apache's hide from the Calvary Observe the best
of the wildlife. A true wilderness -
adventure experience
Day 6 (7) Return to trailhead between 3
and 5 PM
on last day. Departure.
Sample trail description
Blue Wilderness, AZ
Spring and Late Fall trips…
Our journey will begin at the trailhead on the very
western edge of New Mexico. We collect all the gear
and supplies and load up the pack mules. Riders are
fitted to horses, and given riding instructions.
We begin riding and soon cross over into Arizona
climbing our way steadily toward the mountains
ahead.We ride about 6 miles to our lower base camp
located along Little Blue Creek. Once we arrive, we
set up tents and square away the gear and highline
the animals. Later in the afternoon, we ride up Yam
Canyon a narrow and spectacular canyon with
cascading waterfalls and unique rock formations.
Our final destination is to a site marked by a
historic Spanish Mining symbol. More than 340 years
ago, Spaniards mined for gold and silver in this
part of America and left the unusual tree marking.
In addition, Apache Indians used this same trail to
make there way back to the mountains of New Mexico
during their continual escapes from the government
reservation in San Carlos, AZ.
A great meal awaits riders at the end of each day –
steaks cooked over an open fire, chicken stir-fry,
burritos, and pasta dishes, will all the trimmings.
A warm camp fire each evening to cheer our hearts
and tell tall stories.
Our journey continues on the next day, giving riders
a sense of the unique beauty and sheer size of the
Blue Wilderness area. We ride along the Little Blue
River on our way to Bear Valley. The ride traverses
beautiful water filled canyon, passing beneath some
breath-taking hoodoos, and a slot canyon. We take a
break at the corrals in Bear Valley where we explore
an old homestead site containing many interesting
artifacts, including old china, bottles and wagon
wheel parts. After our break, we get back into the
saddle and begin our climb into higher country where
grand vistas abound in every direction. This ride
sets the tone for the rest of our adventure in this
unique, remote and expansive wilderness area. There
is a good possibility that riders will observe some
of the abundant wildlife, including mule deer and
herds of elk. The ride ends with a loop back to
camp.
On the next day we journey to lower country, an area
that offers a completely different landscape that is
more open and has unusual geological formations with
grand vistas. Our final destination is Winter Cabin
- a line shack that is used by cowboys to this day
as they work to gather and brand cattle. Winter
Cabin sits along a slow moving spring surrounded by
large oak trees. This is great place to get off the
horse and explore. We sometimes spike camp at Winter
Cabin.
Another day ride may take us into the high country,
where we ride to the tallest point in the Blue
Range, Bear Mountain.
From there, we’ll follow the razor back Telegraph
Ridge, where riders get a fantastic view of the
expansive mountain range lying to the east and the
deep canyons that lie to the west. Bring your
camera. Again, we are swallowed up in the beauty,
remoteness and size of this uncivilized country.
We return to camp by about 3 p.m., following the
same trail we rode in on.
Summer Trips…
Depending of the length of summer trips we will move
to our higher camp, either on day two or day three.
One of our summer camps is located at Franz Springs.
A wonderful old log cabin and corrals are located
here.
From Franz Springs we journey the next two days
through some of the grandest country in America. We
take the Tige Rim Ride, where we follow the very
edge of sheer cliffs, soaking in endless views of
the Gila Wilderness, which lies to the east. This
ride continues in a loop. We take a lunch break
along a beautiful running creek. There is a nice
hike up the narrow creek to some great pools of
water and spectacular wildflowers. After lunch, we
continue the loop and make a stop as some of the
most unusual geological formations yet seen: white
spirals of rock jutting straight up in towers.
Walking around this site is like a trip into Utah,
or to the Moon! After a day of exploring, we make
our way back to camp for another tasty meal.
The next day we tackle the awesome loop to Devil’s
Monument. This crown of white rock can be seen from
miles in every direction and is the crown jewel of
wilderness riding. We’ll travel along the inside of
ridges, up and down crazy and beautiful rock
formations, and, again taking in the vistas in every
direction. From Devil’s Monument, we’ll complete the
loop viewing the monument at its best, stopping at a
small lake on the return journey toward camp.
The final day of the summer trip may be the best
ride of the trip.
We journey a different route back to new trailhead.
We ride along Bear Canyon and drop from 8000’ to
5000’ in approximately 7 miles. The 3000’ drop
covers diverse terrain as we drop in elevation. Once
we break out of the high country we’ll ride through
juniper and pinion scrub to a set of corrals where
we transport guests back. We’ll return to the
trailhead by about 5 p.m. |
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Sample trail description
Middle Fork Of The Gila River,
NM
Summer Trips…
Our journey begins at the Snow Lake trailhead
located approximately 40 miles from Reserve, NM. We
collect all the gear and supplies and load up the
pack mules. Riders are fitted to horses and given
riding instructions.
We ride one of the longest continuous canyons in
America – the Middle Fork of the Gila River. It is
journey back into the 1800s- the time of Geronimo,
legendary trappers, hunters and homesteaders.
The headwaters of the Middle Fork flow from Snow
Lake, located at about 8500’ in elevation. This is
high mountain meadow country. Rolling grassy
hills are dotted with stands of ponderosa pine; it
is not uncommon to see herds of elk grazing on a
distant knoll. From Snow Lake, we follow the
trail down to Iron Creek through a lush meadow
filled with old cottonwoods. The canyon bottom is
wide and we’ll pass the remains of several
homesteads as the canyon begins its decent, slowly
becoming more narrow and deep.
We take a break at a place called Trodder homestead,
about 7 miles from the trailhead. This is the
last meadow we will see for 5 miles. From this
point, the canyon will narrow and the canyon walls
increase in height to over 1500’. The Middle
Fork has been referred to as the Little Grand Canyon
and is perhaps New Mexico’s best kept secret. The
scenery changes at every turn and time of day
affects the color and feel of the canyon. It is
truly breathtaking.
We’ll ride to our base camp located above the
confluence of Canyon Creek and the Middle Fork.
Canyon creek is a great place for a base camp with a
steady, clean source of water, lots of room for
tents, and plenty of grazing for the animals. Also
known as the birthplace of Geronimo, it is easy to
see why Canyon Creek was a favorite Apache site: an
endless steady supply of spring water, canyon walls
that are accessible to the top country and open
meadows with abundant wildlife. Riding Canyon Creek
maybe the best day in the Southwest!
Even the ancient Mogollon Indians found Canyon Creek
favorable – many old cliff dwellings line the canyon
walls. We have a favorite one we hike to too – a
well preserved site where questions abound as to how
these people lived and thrived, and why they
disappeared, leaving no clues as to where they went.
A great meal awaits riders at the end of each day –
steaks cooked over an open fire, chicken stir-fry,
burritos, and pasta dishes, will all the trimmings.
A warm camp fire each evening to cheer our hearts
and tell tall stories.
We continue our journey down the Middle Fork passing
the most amazing hoodoos imaginable. Caves,
outcroppings, and rock formations - it is impossible
to take in at one time. The Middle Fork is a special
place of majesty, awe and wonder for all visitors.
We take a break at the best swimming holes in the
Gila – cascading water into deep pools that we can
dive into. This is the most impressive display of
water and rock formations anywhere in America.
We’ll ride back to camp later that day.
Another ride takes us along a switchback trail up
out of the Middle Fork. The views down into the
Middle Fork are breathtaking. Once on top, we ride
to Prior Cabin, an historic landmark. Still in use
by the Forest Service today, it is easy to see why
past homesteaders called this place home -- lush
grass and flowers abound thanks to an eternal spring
of water. We’ll rest and explore this site then ride
back to camp following the same trail.
Sometimes we spike camp past the cascading pools and
ride about 7 miles down the Middle Fork to the most
beautiful hot springs in the Gila. These springs are
deep enough and large enough to swim in and guests
can enjoy a great soak with the night stars above.
We’ll ride back to Canyon Creek the same way.
The return home is back up the Middle Fork to Snow
Lake. The country is so diverse that riding
the same route along the Middle Fork is a new
journey – the sights and views are entirely
different on the way back out of the canyon.
We arrive back to the Snow Lake trailhead at
approximately 5 p.m. returning to Glenwood by about
7 p.m. |
