About Gila River Recreation Area
The Gila River recreation area is located along the Gila River and Arizona State Route (SR) 77 between the Town of Winkelman and Globe in Gila County, Arizona. It is approximately 70 miles north of Tucson and 100 miles southeast of Phoenix. The area includes approximately five river miles on public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management that is open to public recreational use.The area includes two minimally developed sites that provide access from SR 77 to the Gila River for river related recreation. Recreation opportunities include wildlife viewing, picnicking, camping, fishing and small craft river floating in a scenic Sonoran Desert canyon landscape. The Shores and Christmas recreation sites offer site roads off the highway, gravel parking, toilets and primitive picnic camping units. The sites are available at no cost on a first come, first served basis.Primitive sites with parking and a fire ring are available. Bring your own table, cooking stove and site furnishings. The sites are not suitable for large motor homes or RV trailers due to narrow clearance and maneuvering space.WildlifeThe Gila River riparian area and upland canyon habitats provide habitat for a variety of wildlife, including resident and migratory avian species, small mammals, reptiles and insects. The recreation sites are largely natural habitat, and some wildlife may present a hazard, such as rattlesnakes.Warm water fish (channel catfish and carp, as well as some large flathead catfish and largemouth bass) may be found in this section of the Gila River.River FloatingThe Gila River can be accessed for floating at the Christmas and Shores sites, with a downriver take-out at the Town of Winkelman River Park. River flows are controlled by releases from the Coolidge Dam for agricultural irrigation in the Casa Grande-Coolidge area and are typically suitable for small craft river floating (such as inflatable kayaks, canoes and tubes) from May through October when flows are over 300 cubic f
