Backpacking the Gila Wilderness, New Mexico

Spring Break

Students on an Outing Club trip in Lake Phoenix

Washington and Lee University Campus Life Student Engagement and Leadership Outdoor Education and Recreation The Outing Club Trips Backpacking the Gila Wilderness, New Mexico
Campus Life

Trip Description

Students backpacking in Gila Wilderness, New Mexico
Experience what famous naturalist Aldo Leopold had in mind with this incredible outdoor adventure. You will hike over 35 miles in the Turkey Creek basin in the remote Gila Wilderness, America’s 1st Wilderness (1924). Backcountry travel and navigation skills are required with long hard days and cold nights! You’ll rest your feet at the end of the week with a soak in the Turkey Creek hot springs! Expect difficult trail sections while scrambling on slippery wet rocks with multiple stream crossings (30 plus) and hard to find campsites.

Some details for you to think about:

  • 115 degree hot spring water
  • Elevation of about 8,000 feet
  • Average nighttime low 25 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Experience required for this trip

Contact the Outing Club for more information and to reserve your spot. Full payment is required upon registration. Call 458-4066 or outing@wlu.edu.

Learn more about Gila Cliff Dwellings on the National Park Service website.

Campus Life

James Dick

Director of Outdoor Education

Ben Schlief

Associate Director of Recreation

Katelyn Nicely

Outdoor Education and Recreation Operations Manager