Campground Overview:
Gabaldon Horse Camp is situated amid spruce trees at the foot of the Mount Baldy Wilderness. The campground is named for Juan Gabaldon, who retired from the Forest Service after working on many of the trails in the area. The campground is a perfect spot to relax after a day’s ride. This campground is limited to campers with horses or stock animals.
Campground at a Glance
Level: |
Semi-Developed |
Season: |
Year-Round |
Nearby City: |
Springerville |
Fishing: |
East Fork Little Colorado River |
Campground Website: |
Gabaldon Horse Camp |
Campground Map: |
N/A |
Reservations: |
First-come, first-served basis |
Location: |
Nearby Attractions and Activities:
Mount Baldy Wilderness was designated by The United States Congress in 1970 and it now has a total of 6,819 acres occupying the eastern slope of the White mountain and is managed by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. The wilderness area was of course named after the highlight of the White Mountains- Mount Baldy, an extinct volcano rising to 11,403 feet.
Most of the forest covering the mountain is mixed conifers with ponderosa pine in the lower elevations and fir and spruce higher up. Large meadows break open the forest, carpeted in summer with wildflowers. Summer thunderstorms are frequent, as are lightning strikes on the mountain. Two major trails crisscross the Wilderness. The popular West Baldy Trail (Sheep’s Crossing) follows the West Fork of the Little Colorado River for seven miles. The East Baldy Trail (Phelp’s Cabin) follows the East Fork of the Little Colorado for seven miles and receives much less foot traffic. The trails join near the reservation boundary to form a 14-mile loop. The last half mile to the top of the mountain, on Reservation land, is closed. Winn Campground & Gabaldon Horse Camp are popular base camps to explore the mountain and wilderness area.
Mount Baldy is one of the most sacred mountains to the Apache of Arizona. The Western Apache of Arizona inhabited the areas within their most four sacred mountain ranges: the White Mountains of Eastern Arizona, the Pinaleno Mountains near the town of Safford in southeastern Arizona, the Four Peaks near the City of Phoenix and the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff. When Captain George M. Wheeler visited the mountaintop in 1873, he described the view as “The most magnificent and effective of any among the large number that have come under my observation”. Mount Baldy also contains the headwaters of the Little Colorado River and Salt River and produces the most abundant trout fishing streams in Arizona. No other mountain in Arizona produces as many rivers and streams. Along its slope are numerous man made lakes.
White Mountain Apache Tribe now consists of approximately 16,000 Tribal members. Many live here on their Tribal lands, but others live and work all over the country and throughout world. Today, the People proudly retain their culture through language, songs and dance, and their ceremonies. Each Tribal member continue to originate from unique family clans. The clan system is still practiced today.
The White Mountain Apache reservation consists of 1.67 million acres (over 2,600 square miles) in east-central Arizona. It ranges in elevation from 2,600 feet in the Salt River Canyon on the southwest corner of the reservation to over 11,400 feet at the top of Mount Baldy, one of our sacred peaks. It includes some of the richest wildlife habitats in the state, and more than 400 miles of clean running rivers, streams, and over 26 lakes. It is home to the Apache Trout, a species brought back from the brink of extinction through the efforts of the Tribe and many partners. Through the Tribe’s Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Division, many recreational opportunities are available on the reservation. The White Mountain Apache people are known world-wide for their Trophy Bull Elk hunting program. The People are blessed with pristine clean drinking water from its natural aquifers.
The tribe also owns and operates the Sunrise Park Resort and the Hon-Dah Casino. The resort is a year-round recreation destination and offers a wide range of outdoor activities. During the winter, the resort’s three mountains offer excellent alpine skiing. There are plenty of challenging runs for experienced skiers and an abundance of enjoyable intermediate runs. When Arizona experiences wet winters, which aren’t all too uncommon, Sunrise provides skiing as good as anywhere in the Southwest.
White Mountain Apache Cultural Center and Museum, originally established in 1969, stands as a monument to the Tribe’s historical resiliency and ongoing commitment to celebrate and perpetuate Apache heritage. The Cultural Center serves as a repository for the Tribe’s cultural heritage through the preservation of oral histories, archival materials and objects of cultural, historical and artistic significance to the White Mountain Apache people. A visit to the Culture Center also entitles visitation to the Fort Apache National Historic Park and Kinishba Ruins National Historic Landmark, also administered by the Tribe’s Heritage Program and located five miles west of Fort Apache.
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