U.S. Forest Service · Gila National Forest · New Mexico

Forks Campground

This campground features beautiful cliffs along the West Fork of the Gila River. This campground is a great place to stop on the way to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (15 miles north). Overnight camping is allowed in the upper portion of Forks; however, the lower portion of the Forks Recreation Site along the West Fork of the Gila River is day use only.

Open nowFirst-come, first-served7 sites

More like this: first-come in New Mexico

2fires
active
Rx Wagon Wheel North Piles Fy27 (prescribed burn) · 21 mi away
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Season & status

StatusOpen
ForestGila National Forest
BookingAll Gila NF campgrounds have a 14-day stay limit.
FeesNo fee.
RulesHorses are prohibited in the campground, but there are corrals nearby at TJ Corral or Woody's Corral. OHVs and ATVs prohibited in the campground All firearm use, including hunting, is prohibited in the campground. Dogs on leash only.

Gila National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Forks Campground30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 1.01 inches of precipitation, 3.0 inches of snowFebruary: 0.95 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowMarch: 0.69 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowApril: 0.41 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowMay: 0.52 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 0.66 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 2.67 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.07 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.81 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.18 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowNovember: 1.03 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowDecember: 1.17 inches of precipitation, 1.3 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 37.0°F averageFebruary: 40.8°F averageMarch: 46.0°F averageApril: 51.7°F averageMay: 58.4°F averageJune: 66.8°F averageJuly: 71.2°F averageAugust: 70.2°F averageSeptember: 64.3°F averageOctober: 54.2°F averageNovember: 44.3°F averageDecember: 37.1°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Gila Hot Springs, 1 mile from the campground at 5,636 feet, station USC00293530 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 15 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 6 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

The Forks Campground is located approximately 40 miles north of Silver City on the east side of New Mexico Highway 15, just north of mile marker 38, and is located approximately 5 miles south of the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.

Coordinates33.1835° N, 108.2064° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Rx Wagon Wheel North Piles Fy27

    21 mi from the campground

  • Prescribed
    Rx Wagon Wheel West Piles Fy27

    22 mi from the campground · 33 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Outdoor gearOutdoor gear ↗27.6 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Limited data for this unit

No site-by-site records, no amenities, no fee schedule or photos in the Recreation.gov record. What is here comes from the agency's own listing. The rest lives there.

Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the record fills in.

Explore

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

Trailheads within three miles

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Gila Wilderness, which overlaps Gila National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Guidebooks for New Mexico

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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Forks Campground?

No. Forks Campground is first-come, first-served. All Gila NF campgrounds have a 14-day stay limit. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.

Source: Forest Service

How much does it cost to camp at Forks Campground?

No fee.

Source: Forest Service

Is Forks Campground open right now?

Open as of Oct 16, 2026.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does Forks Campground have?

7 sites.

Source: Forest Service

What if Forks Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Lower Scorpion Campground (4.4 mi, first-come), Upper Scorpion Campground (4.5 mi, first-come), and Black Canyon Campground - Lower (10 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby