Catwalk Recreation Area Gila National Forest Glenwood New Mexico

Catwalk Recreation Area is a marvel of engineering in the shadow of mining history.
An easy relaxing walk through narrow canyon walls over a babbling creek through waterfalls a swimming hole makes this a destination to seek out. C A C T U S A T L A S .
C O M Read our review - Get more information - Located in Whitewater Canyon in the Gila National Forest the Catwalk Recreation Area is a fantastic place to visit.
In addition the area has an interesting history throughout time. The creek flowing through the canyon provided electricity and water for the nearby mining town of Graham also called Whitewater founded by John T Graham in the early 1890s.
Leading to an ore processing mill pipes were built and bolted to the canyon walls with simple wooden planks attached above.
This catwalk is how the area got its name.
All was well until around 1913 when the mill was no longer profitable and the town dried up with most leaving the area. Utilizing the same original path of the pipes the Civilian Conservation Corps came into the canyon in the 1930s and rebuilt the catwalk.
This version lasted until the 1960s when the Forest Service upgraded the catwalk to todays steel walkways. In addition to having a history in area mining the canyon also served as a sanctuary for those seeking refuge from the law.
Apache leader Geronimo utilized the canyon in the late 1800s hiding from US Army soldiers.
Gila Apache or Chiricahua had been calling this area home for several centuries. Outlaw Butch Cassidy also sought protection in the canyon while evading the Pinkertons.
He had been working as a ranchman herding cattle at the WS Ranch just north of Alma New Mexico.
It is said that once Pinkerton attention was focused on that area that Cassidy packed up and fled towards the mountains. Today the Catwalk is open from sunrise to sunset and is a popular destination in the summer months.
Throughout the 2 mile trail visitors can walk on the catwalk above the creek in the footsteps where irrigation pipes once were.
The first half-mile of the trail is paved and ADA accessible however further along the paved section ends and dirt trails and stone steps would make accessibility difficult.
There are some moderately steep grades in sections. Should one choose to explore further there are sections of the trail that cross the creek and provide options to dip into the water.
Located near the end of the Catwalk Trail is a popular waterfall-fed swimming hole that hikers can use to cool off. VIDEO FILMED: 06092021 L O C A T I O N I N F O Catwalk Recreation Area - Directions to Catwalk Recreation Area - T I M E S T A M P S 00:00 Intro Fee Information 01:20 History of Catwalk Recreation Area 02:35 Heading to the Catwalk 04:26 Traversing the Catwalk 06:41 Following Whitewater Creek 09:08 Butterfly Encounter 11:01 Looking up at the Catwalk L I N K S Gear we use - See where weve been - Music from Epidemic Sound - As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. _____________________________________________________________ Find us on Instagram Twitter Facebook - cactusatlas. Check out our website - Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! Join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American Southwest.
We tour both natural and man-made attractions - National Parks as well as theme parks.
Our base of operations is in the Phoenix AZ area.
We do a lot of hiking and day trips as well as campground reviews and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American Southwest.
We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!