The Catwalk National Scenic Trail

The Catwalk is a National Recreation trail along the canyon of Whitewater Creek. It is located in southwestern New Mexico, five miles east of Glenwood (take Hwy. 180 to 174). This hike is very fun, scenic and historic. The canyon was used as a hideout by both Geronimo and Butch Cassidy. The Catwalk follows the path of the pipeline built in the 1890s to deliver water to the mining town of Graham. Workmen who had to enter the canyon by crawling atop the narrow pipeline named the route the "Catwalk." In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps rebuilt the Catwalk as a recreation area for the Gila National Forest. The Forest Service built the metal walkway in the 1960s. Parts of the trail have been rebuilt several times since then due to the flooding of Whitewater Creek.

At the parking lot at the beginning of the trail, ruins of the old mill can be seen high on the north side of the canyon. Here there is a large picnic area set among a grove of sycamore trees. The path leads to metal walkways bolted to the narrow canyon walls where there was no room to cut a trail. One expanse of the walkway is on girders stretched across the canyon. Between the creaking metal grates of the Catwalk you can see the swiftly running water below. In other parts the walkway hugs the canyon wall.
Waist high railings make it a safe walk but there is that nervous feeling about hanging off the middle of a steep canyon wall. The Catwalk ends with a swaying suspension bridge leading to a cavern ledge overlooking a thundering waterfall. In the summer it is an escape from the desert heat. There is one river access to cool off in a nice pool.