The Gila River is a massive 649-mile-long river that is also a part of the Colorado River. It flows through Arizona and New Mexico. Along this river, you will find some outstanding views of the area that it flows through. Therefore, it is very popular among many locals and tourists who love to go floating in the Gila River.
The Beauty of the Gila River
As a tributary of the Colorado River and then having two other tributaries that lead south of the border, into Mexico, this river offers a lot of amazing views and experiences. There is only one major dam, the Coolidge Dam, but there are several smaller diversion dams. It also links to the Salt River, where you can find the Theodore Roosevelt Dam. Because of its extensive length and the fact that it is through some of the United States most beautiful areas, the river is used as a recreational area for many outdoor lovers.
Things to Do on the Gila
This river is navigable during the spring thaw and remains that way through the summer and autumn storms. While floating down it, you will be able to float through lazy canyons and also find some whitewater areas. It is located in the desert, so you will have a chance of an erratic flow area or flash flooding in some areas. You should check the river to make sure that it is usable for what you want to enjoy before you venture out. If it is rapids that you are seeking, you may also want to visit the Salt River tributary where there are some Class IV rapids. If you simply want to relax and watch the world as you float down the Gila, you will enjoy taking along specific gear for it. The raft, canoe, or inflatable kayak are all a given for white watering, but you may also want to take along smaller floats for the lazier parts of the river. When white watering, you will need helmets and other things to ensure that you are safe.
Floating in Style
People show up at the river with all types of floats for their family to enjoy. They use large rafts so that everyone can relax together, and they use smaller rafts for separate adventures. They also take along supplies that they will need for the day. This includes fresh water to drink and perhaps other types of beverages which they store in a floating cooler with speakers. They take sunblock and insect repellent, fresh clothes to change into after their float downstream. They take maps of the river so that they can ensure they do not end up in dangerous areas, snacks to eat while they are drifting along, and cameras to capture memories of their day out on the river. Most people who choose to take a larger raft or small boat drifting down the river will carry paddles to ensure they are going to stay away from dangerous rocks and repair kits to ensure that if they hit a rock, they are not stranded. All this goes to prove that on the Gila River, anything is possible.
There is something special about taking a walk in the great outdoors and enjoying all that a state park or a national park has to offer. It is here that you will be able to see untouched trees, abundant wildlife, and scenery that is always beautiful. However, part of planning a trip to one of the many national and state parks should include items that will keep pests at bay. This is why we suggest that you educate yourself on proper pest prevention planning for time outdoors.
Everyone knows that insects, such as mosquitoes, can carry diseases. This complicates everything during hikes since you must share a space with the insects who want to feed off you and all the wild animals that may be hiding out in the wilderness. State and National Parks are often huge areas of untouched land. This means that there is an abundance of dead leaves, moist areas, and still water. To ensure that they remain “untouched” very little can be done to slow pests from using it as a breeding ground. Therefore, it is up to the people who want to enjoy nature to take care of their own pest control. For many people, this is a problem that is easily dealt with, but some people have to take further steps to ensure they walk out of the wilderness without a mosquito borne illness.
Mosquitoes are drawn to you. They know that you have blood in your body and they enjoy eating as much as everyone else. Most people who enjoy hiking on the trails recommend that you carry with a spray can of insect repellent, especially if you are going into an area that has experienced a fair amount of rainfall. It depends on your preferences though, since a lot of people do not want to wear DEET insect spray. Instead, they may opt for insect repelling clothing and natural pest control scents such as citronella. If you want, you can carry both types and then only use the one that is required at that time to keep bugs away. As someone who wants to camp in the great outdoors, in some of the remotest locations, you may also want to take along a backpack fogger. It is a 
In most areas, a national forest is a protected piece of land. Every part of them, from the biggest animals to the smallest pebbles, are placed there, where nature intended them to be. Therefore, removing anything from the forest is often considered illegal; even if it is something as tiny as a pebble or a chunk of firewood to remember your trip with. This is because they should be preserved for the animals that call it home and the people who may venture into that spot after you have left. The two exceptions are your photographs and your trash. Those are the memories that you can hold onto. They are 100% legal to take away with you when you leave the National Forests, no matter what area of the world you are camping and hiking through.
If you still feel that you need to take something home with you from the forest, you have options. Most national forest areas are tourist destinations and people venture out to them from all areas of the world, just to see what they can discover for themselves. Therefore, there are often gift shops located near the forest and they have things available that make wonderful keepsakes of your trip. For instance, you could purchase a tee-shirt that shows you hiked the trails at this national forest or a coffee mug that says you survived hiking through. If the trails are located near a mountain or something, you can even