Hey all, I’m Looking for suggestions for a 3-4 night backpacking trip in Utah, Arizona, or New Mexico around Memorial Day weekend. I will be bringing my dog, so that rules out a lot of destinations. Last year, I did Grand Gulch (Cedar Mesa region in Utah), so I want to try something new. I will be driving from Denver and want to keep the drive under 10 hours. I was thinking about doing something in Gila Wilderness, but that’s a little outside of my desired range, so I’m soliciting ideas.

My suggestion is somewhat biased as I find the Gila Wilderness area to be quite beautiful and a great place to explore. The Middle and West Fork of the Gila River are really nice regions to explore with plenty of water and great views, isolated hot springs, and the cliff walls on both forks of the river are amazing. This area is very dog friendly, no issues that I've heard of. The added hour or two on your 10 hour margin might be worth it, if you drive into the Gila Wilderness and take Highway 152 into Silver City you might cut out an hour or 2 bypassing Las Cruces and Deming. Good luck planning your trip, maybe check into the Pecos Wilderness as well.