Writing Retreat with Craig Childs
Headwaters of the Gila River
The Wilderness Lodge
Gila Hot Springs, NM
October 5-10, 2025
REGISTER HERE
Nothing is as crisp as now. The colors before your eyes, the brightness, darkness, air, smell, touch. This will never happen again, except for writing it down, telling the story, bringing the now back to life for a reader far away. By exploring physical terrain around the Gila, looking to horizons and down to the ground, we will hone the practice of writing about where you are. From ancestry to geology to personal memory, we will express a place and a moment in words, scenes, narratives. This is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry…anything. If you’ve never written, this will be a surprising pleasure. If you’re old hat, you’ll learn something new. Be prepared, because we are going to work and you will walk away with freshly written material.”
—Craig Childs
REGISTER HERE
Experience includes five nights lodging, all yummy, home cooked meals, and four full days of writing and immersion along the Gila River and within the Gila Wilderness (both right outside the door). Each day will include optional field explorations with Craig and Heart of the Gila Guides along the river, into the canyons and cliff dwellings, and up on the mesa tops. Days and evenings will include a mix of walking, lecture discussions, and writing sessions. Enjoy some or all of these offerings, write on your own, hang by the river, or enjoy unnlimited soaking in the private hot springs. Other hot springs options are nearby!
Retreat begins at 6pm, October 5th with dinner and ends after breakfast on October 10th.
Craig Childs, wilderness traveler and author has written more than a dozen books of adventure, exploration, and natural history including House of Rain and The Secret Knowledge of Water. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Outside, and The New York Times, where he has been called “a modern-day desert father.” He’s a contributing editor at Adventure Journal magazine and has taught writing at the University of Montana, University of Alaska and Southern New Hampshire University. An Arizona native, he lives off-grid in southwest Colorado.
The Wilderness Lodge is the only private hot springs accommodations in the Gila Hot Springs Valley. It has 7 charming rooms, two shared bathrooms, cozy meeting areas, and 2 private hotsprings pools. Prices for the retreat range from $1200 to $1500 for shared or private rooms. Limited to 12 participants.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity with author Craig Childs in the heart of the Gila Wilderness. Come experience this magical place with us.
4.5 hours from Tucson,
5 hours from Albuquerque,
8 hours from Durango!
Heart of the Gila, a non-profit located in the headwaters of the Gila River in stewards public lands, provides environmental education and advocates for wild places across the Southwest.
We welcome you!
Reach out with questions-heartofthegila@gmail.com
Special Event add on-Saturday Evening, October 4th
Craig Child performs at the Whiskey Creek Zocolo in nearby Silver City, NM
More info coming!
