Exploring the Birthplace of American Wilderness: Journey to Leopold Vista in the Gila National Forest

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to stand at the very spot where America's wilderness conservation efforts began? Join me, Craig the Natural Medic, as we journey to the breathtaking Leopold Vista in the Gila National Forest. With elevations ranging from 4,500 to nearly 11,000 feet, the stunning landscape sits snugly between the Rockies and the deserts of Mexico. I'll immerse you in the awe-inspiring views of Grouse Mountain, Mogollon Baldy, and Whitewater Baldy, while uncovering the rich history behind the Gila Wilderness—the first designated wilderness area in the lower 48 states, established in 1924, thanks to the tireless efforts of Aldo Leopold.

As I share my personal passion for the wilderness, you'll hear about my aspirations to backpack through this expansive terrain and traverse parts of the Continental Divide Trail that meander through the Gila, Aldo Leopold, and Blue Range wildernesses. Spanning over 500,000 acres, the Gila Wilderness stands as a monumental testament to early conservation endeavors. Don't forget to give a thumbs up and subscribe for more nature-filled adventures, and stay tuned for my upcoming plans to hike and explore this remarkable region. Leave your thoughts and questions in the comments below—see you on the trail!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Hey, what's going on? It's Craig the Natural Medic and I wanted to stop here. This is called the Leopold Vista. You can see what it looks like out here. In the Gila National Forest you have all these mountains, which is not part of the Rockies, it's north of the Rockies or, sorry, south of the Rockies and north of the deserts of Mexico. You have elevations ranging from 4,500 to almost 11,000 feet. Several mountains over there and not sure exactly what I'm looking at, but according to the map over here, to my right, straight ahead, we have, I believe, grouse Mountain, mogollon, baldy, whitewater Baldy those are the three big mountains over there and that particular deal over, as you can see lots of history here. And just to tell you about um aldo leopold, what we're looking at over there, where those mountains are as part of the gila wilderness, which is one of the largest wilderness areas and one of the first actually the first in the lower 48 um is actually set aside in 1924, about 40 years before the actual passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964, which set aside a bunch of wilderness areas. It was definitely a conservation pioneer. What a beautiful view.

Speaker 1: 1:42

It's my hope and dream one day that I can do some backpacking out here in the Gila. I believe and I could be wrong, but I believe the portion of the Continental Divide Trail goes through this wilderness area. There's three wilderness areas in the Gila. There's three wilderness areas in the Gila. The largest one, of course, is the one that Aldo Leopold has helped set aside, which we're looking at that way. It's the one we can see. It's over 500,000 acres. It's called the Gila wilderness. Here it is on the map. I am right here, I'm looking over this way. That's what I'm seeing. The next one is called the Aldo Leopold wilderness and it is, yeah, the Condo Divide trail goes right through here and they got the Aldo Leopold wilderness and they also had the Blue Range wilderness, which is right on the Arizona border, arizona-new Mexico border, and it joins another property on the other side.

Speaker 1: 2:51

Lots of history here, and 100 years ago this is where the first wilderness area was set aside. Very cool. I remember learning this when I was studying forestry for my bachelor's degree and how Aldo Leopold was one of my heroes. If you like this information, make sure and give it a thumbs up. Think about subscribing to the channel if you want to see more cool adventures and eventually you're gonna see me over there hiking that and backpacking it. So thanks a lot for any comments or questions. Leave those below. See you on the trail.