There is a wide variety of riding in the Gila including Day/Front Country Rides and Backcountry Rides. There are also trailhead horse friendly camping options around the Gila National Forest. Please tread lightly.
Riding in the Gila
The Gila is a remote and often rugged and pristine place to ride. To enjoy your ride, here are a few things to know.
- While equine are allowed on all trails in the Gila Wilderness, not all trails are suitable for equine. Recent fires and floods, in addition to deferred maintenance, have made equine travel challenging in some places in the Gila Wilderness. Gila Back Country Horsemen has reestablished many trails that were previously impassable for equine, but there is much work that still needs to be done.
- Gila Wilderness trails are mountainous and rocky. Equine must be accustomed to this type of terrain.
- The Gila Wilderness is a large system of trails with minimal road access, making it hard to fix recent blowdowns. Trail conditions can change at any moment despite recent maintenance.
Specific Trails 
Learn details about individual trails as they relate to equine use. We maintain Trailforks for the Gila Wilderness and parts of the Gila National Forest.
Equine Friendly Trailheads for Day Use
- Signal Peak Road Parking near Highway 15
- CDT off of the Bear Creek Road near Pinos Altos
- CDT at Little Walnut
- Dragonfly Trailhead at Fort Bayard
- Big Tree Trailhead at Fork Bayard
- CDT at Jack’s Peak Trailhead in the Burros
- CDT at C-bar Ranch in the Burros
- CDT at Red Rocks Road in the Burros
- Glenwood Community Park (short road ride to Little Whitewater)
- Snow Lake Trailhead
New Corrals at Woody’s Corral Trailhead
Front Country Equine Camping in the Gila
Aeroplane Mesa Campground
- Forest Service Info
- Located on the northern part of the Gila Wilderness
- 4 Corrals often taken over by an outfitter.
- Open space for camping next to the corrals and at the trailhead. No horses allowed in the campground itself.
- No water.
- Pit toilet
- Lots of riding loops and out-and-backs. Check out near by trails including Loco Mtn/Aeroplane Loop
Woody's Corral Trailhead
- FS Info
- Located near Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and the center of the Gila Wilderness
- 12 corrals total – 8 of which are new.
- Water troughs outside of corrals. No access to water inside the corrals (except for 4 of the corrals). A water bucket can be nice to have.
- Frost free hydrants
- Bring a manure bucket and rake to put manure in manure bays after use.
- Lots of open space for parking and dispersed camping.
- Lots of day rides and back country options.
- Here are some day ride ideas:
Loop Near Cliff Dwellings – 4.2 miles
Woody’s Corral and EE Canyon Loop – 8 miles
Ring Canyon/Little Creek Trails – 18 miles
Whiterocks and Adobe Canyon Trails – 18 miles
Little Bear and Middle Fork Trails – 11 miles
Ride to the Meadows Overlook – 18 miles
- What to consider:
- We can occasionally have snowstorms that make the road (Highway 15) to Woody’s Corral or the north-facing trails slippery.
- If we get more rain than predicted or the small amount of snow in the high country melts all at once, the rivers may flood and be impassable or dangerous. Pay attention to the weather.
- Beaver dams can be found along the Middle and West Forks. During low water levels, the beaver dams are not much of an issue, but when the rivers are higher, the water crossings near the beaver dams become very deep.
- There are many other loop configurations and out-and-backs. Don’t be limited by this list.
- The trails loops listed have been worked on in the recent past. But trail conditions can change at any moment. If a trail is no longer passable, please notify us with the issue: groundworktrails@gmail.com
Wolf Hollow Campground
- Forest Service Info
- Located on the northeast side of the Gila Wilderness
- 4wd recommended
- no water
- pit toilet
- corrals
- Trail to Black Mountain leave from there.
Upper Gallinas Campground
- Forest Service Info
- South side of the Aldo Leopold Wilderness off of Highway 152
- no water except when the creek is running
- 4 corrals on the other side of the creek
- Right off the highway
- To access Railroad and Gallinas trails, ride up the creek about a mile
Willow Creek Corrals & Trailhead
- Forest Service Info
- located on the northwest side of the Gila Wilderness
- no water except in the creek
- pit toilet
- Lots of day and overnight riding options from here although some trails were damaged in the 2025 Turkeyfeather Fire
Pueblo Park Campground
- Forest Service Info
- Located in the Blue Ranger – western Gila National Forest
- Corrals are North of the Campground near Dangerous Park Trailhead
- No water
- Pit toilets
- Multiple rides from this area