Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Hotels

Lake Roberts Cabins: Simple but cosy

There is no accommodation at the Gila Cliff Dwellings, and many people visit as a day tour from Silver City (which is perfectly possibly, though it’s quite a long drive). If you’d like to have more time at the cliffs, as we did, there are a few options to stay nearer than Silver, although none of them very fancy. We opted for a cabin in this small rustic spot near Lake Roberts.

The cabins vary in size from those suitable for a couple to larger ones that sleep five. We opted for the smallest, Cedar, which our Moon Handbook said was the most atmospheric. It was certainly cosy, if not large. We had a small sitting area with a sofa, TV (for watching VHS tapes only, which can be borrowed free of charge from the store) and a table and two chairs. A kitchenette opened directly from this, with a microwave, two ring gas stove, fridge etc, and all the crockery and cutlery two people might need. The bedroom was really only big enough for the double wood-framed bed, which was comfortable enough but very noisy – when one of us turned over, both woke up! The bathroom had a shower and a tiny wash-basin, with no plug, but the towels were thick and plentiful. And although it got very chilly after dark, being quite high above sea level here, the cabin stayed warm all night.

The website says that the on-site General Store sells “Groceries, including canned goods, microwave dinners, and other convenience foods”, “Staples like bacon, fresh eggs, milk & butter” and “Seasonal garden fruits & vegetables”. So we planned to buy the makings of our evening meal there on arrival. However when I rang to confirm our reservation a couple of days before, and to enquire about the store opening times, the owner told me that although they stayed open till about 7.00 pm, he had been running the stock down as it was late in the season (last week in September) and he would have very little from which to make any sort of meal. So we shopped ahead in Silver, and you might like to do the same regardless of the time of year as I have a feeling that the rather poky shop might never live up to the claims made for it on that website!

Despite the name, the cabins are not on the lake itself but about half a mile away. But they are in a peaceful rural spot – we saw a deer from our porch that evening.

• Opinion of Price: about average
• Written October 23, 2011

Seating area, Cedar Cabin

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