Dean Bruemmer at the Wilderness Lodge in Gila Hot Springs is a former river guide and considered one of the local experts. Trips tend to run from late March to early May, depending on the snowmelt.

The establishment of the Gila Wilderness on June 3, 1924 — fully 40 years before the Wilderness Act became law — protected the area’s high peaks, wriggling river valleys, and hidden hot ...

Forest Service Gila National Forest Forest Service Gila National Forest provided ABC-7 with this image of black bears similar to the one spotted at Jordan Hot Springs.