Hiking New Mexico Gila Wilderness

What I like about this series and this particular guide is the wealth of useful information provided. Each hike is described comprehensively and the descriptions are supplemented with maps, elevation profiles, and mileages to key points. Plus all the usual info is provided about water, seasons, maps, etc. This gives all the information required to make informed decisions when planning a trip. A minor but nice point: the maps all are oriented with north up. Too many guidebooks provide maps with multiple orientations which can be confusing for the unwary.

This is almost a definitive guide to hiking in the Gila Wilderness. I used to hike trails in the Gila Wilderness, and I wish I had had this guidebook. It has all the important information you need, such as which trails are still in use, where the trail might fade away, where the reliable water is, and how long to plan your trip for each trail. It is chock full of useful information. For each hike, it gives an elevation diagram for the hike; detailed directions to the trail head; the best season to go; a table of how far key points are from the trail head; special hazards and considerations presented by the hike; the highlights of the hike expressed in a sentence; the difficulty of the hike; and the maps you will need. It also covers the facilities at the trail head, and gives options for side hikes. All this in addition to extremely detailed information about the hikes themselves, likely camping areas, reliable sources of water etc. And it does this for every significant trail in the Gila Wilderness! This is a significant improvement over Murray's book which gives sketchy information about fewer trails. The tables and diagrams in this book are a model of what good guide books should contain. For example, there is a map showing all the USGS quad map locations for the Wilderness, a Map showing all trail head locations schematically, a table that allows you to choose a hike based on what type of hike you want, a detailed table of contents, and a gear checklist. The only thing it doesn't have are GPS coordinates. Of course, it might not be enough to own just this book, if the trail is very lightly used...you should bring USGS topo maps and a compass at the very least. There is a also a Wilderness Map and Visitor Guide for the Wilderness which is worth purchasing. This book is obviously written after long and hard backpacking through the wilderness. The authors are extremely well-organized and systematic in the things they note, and in their presentation. Even so, after having been in this wilderness, I know there is much that is not in this book that is waiting for the reader to discover. The black and white pictures in the book can only convey a little of the flavor of the beauty that is there. You really have to experience this beauty for yourself. Armed with this book, I think you will be able to have a safer, and more enjoyable time while doing it. ...the Gila Forest (which is 3 million acres), [is] not ...the Gila Wilderness, [which is] a more protected area which is indeed 550,000 acres. A wilderness is a place where cars, and all forms of motorized transport cannot go. In contrast, cars can drive along forest roads. ...

This is a thorough guide to hundreds of miles of trails in the Gila Wilderness. The authors describe approximately 60 different trails, rated by length of hike and difficulty, which are not the same thing. Their maps and instructions for getting to the trailhead are detailed enough to get to the hike. This reader wished that their trail descriptions included more details on how difficult the trails were to follow, particularly since many of the trails criss-cross streams and since they warn the reader that many of the trails are old and somewhat difficult to find. But there's a huge amount of information in this book, from what's available at the stores in nearby towns to where to get showers to road conditions to trailheads. It's a great resource.