Traveling north from Silver City, the mountains and craggy bluffs rise to meet you as you drive the Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway. Stopping at the Continental Divide, the vistas extend to Mexico. The road winds through the old gold mining camp of Pinos Altos; its historic buildings offer a sense of stepping back in time. Along Bear Creek, water has sculpted the rock into intriguing shapes. Beneath the towering rock formations, a tranquil valley can be seen along Cherry Creek. This was the heart of gold and silver mining in the 1860s. Now peaceful and pristine, the creek hosts bird life and butterflies.
The road winds through the forest; firs and ponderosa pines yield to pinyon and juniper. On Copperas Peak the vast wild expanse of the Gila Wilderness lies before you. The volcanic history of this land is written in the scattered basalt, resembling towers and cities lost. You are seeing the land Aldo Leopold saw in 1924 and when he successfully fought to preserve the first Wilderness area.
Leaving Copperas Vista, the road descends to the Forks of the Gila River, and the thermal kettle of Gila Hot Springs. In this pristine valley the ground water is thermal and hot springs abound. The rivers run through the valley to the junction of the main Gila River, at the NM-15 bridge. The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument sits in the head of a small canyon just off the West Fork. The Dwellings is one of the first National Monuments in the nation. You can step from the byway many places along the route and experience unspoiled wilderness.
The byway crosses the Continental Divide several times and is crossed by the Continental Divide Trail, a premier hiking experience. Continuing back to the junction of NM-15 and NM-35, one enters the Sapillo Valley, offering a variety of excellent bird life and wildlife viewing opportunities. At Lake Roberts, as many as ten hummingbird species visit the area, feeding on wildflowers along the creek. New Mexico's first designated State Birding Trail includes the byway route and offers world class birding year-round.
Continuing on NM-35, the towering cliffs follow Sapillo Creek, yielding to grassy meadows. Entering the Mimbres Valley east of the Continental Divide, the scenery changes to small farms and ranches. The Mimbres River sweeps down from the Black Range; the Aldo Leopold Wilderness is visible to the east. Along the Mimbres River, bosques (Spanish for cottonwood groves) protect an abundance of wildlife and bird species. The trees guard water quality, hold the banks against flooding, and explode into gold in the fall. The towns of Mimbres and San Lorenzo still exist, each with rich settlement history, and each with a unique flavor of its own.
At the junction of NM-35 and NM-152, the traveler heads west to Silver City. An area of rough country, with prickly pear cactus and other varieties growing along the roadside, looms along the way. The great wealth of this part of the byway is apparent as you pass the Santa Rita open pit copper mine. One of the largest mines in the country, it has been worked for two centuries and continues operations today.
Turning on to US-180 takes the traveler to historic Fort Bayard National Landmark. North of the fort is the nation's second largest Alligator juniper tree, known locally as "The Big Tree," and the Cameron Creek birding area. Heading back to Silver City completes the tour.
Ecosystems Collide on Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway
Birding on Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway