Why Go?
Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 with the mission of preserving the delicate works and relics of the Ancestral Puebloan peoples. It is home to the most extensive and well-preserved concentration of prehistoric cliff dwellings in the United States and, in 1978, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its archaeological significance.
The park includes nearly 5,000 discovered archaeological sites, many of which are still being uncovered and researched. There are over 600 cliff dwellings, plus other preserved homes of the Puebloan peoples who lived here for over 700 years around AD 600 to 1300. And they aren’t just sites that have to be looked at from afar. Get up close and personal to these ruins, which offer an incredible (albeit small), window into what life was like for these inhabitants.
Where to Go
The only lodging in the park is the Far View Lodge which only operates May through October. The lodge is aptly named considering it sits on a rise of land in the park and offers views for over a hundred miles in many directions. In fact, four states can be seen at once when looking southwest across the Four Corners.
For those looking to camp, Morefield Campground has 267 sites, 15 of which can be reserved for full RV hookups from April to October. The campground is open year-round but with limited services in the winter months. The closest town from the only entrance into the park is Mancos, with two lodging options. Further out with more lodging options are the bigger towns of Cortez, Dolores and Durango. To help preserve the discovered and undiscovered archaeological sites throughout the park, backcountry camping is not permitted.
What to Do
While Mesa Verde National Park is open year-round, programs and services are limited in the winter months. During high season there are many programs offered by the park staff. In fact, some of the most popular sites are only accessible via ranger guided tours, specifically Cliff Palace, Balcony House, and Long House. The park rules do not limit children of any age to participate in any of the tours, but they can be strenuous due to the hiking along the trails and climbing up and down ladders. Infants must be in backpack carriers and anyone carrying the infant in the backpack must be able to maintain good balance. These guided tours require tickets to be purchased in person and, in the summer months, the tours fill fast. Tickets can be purchased up to two days in advance to ensure a spot.
There are also a number of self-guided tours available. Some are available year-round and some only allow seasonal access. Most of these self-guided tours are hikes which range from 100 feet to over two miles. The Mesa Top Loop Road tour is a six-mile drive with 12 stops along the way. Each of these stops provide easy access to surface dwellings as well as some cliff dwellings. There are also a number of special backcountry hike tours to lesser visited areas of the park.
Getting Around
The park has a road with three major branches. The entrance spur is 15 miles from the park gate and leads to Far View Lodge. Along the way there are a number of pullouts to stop and enjoy the view, with a small parking area at the Mancos Valley Overlook. Just beyond that is the Morefield Campground where a handful of small hikes are available. Trailers and towed vehicles are not allowed past the campground and there’s a large parking lot before the park entrance where these can be dropped (if not staying at the campground).
From Far View Lodge, the two other spurs split off. The western spur goes along the Wetherill Mesa, which dead-ends into a parking lot. Visitors can transfer to a tram to get to the sites. The eastern spur runs along the Chaplain Mesa, where the Cliff Palace Loop and Mesa Top Loop can be found. From April to October, there are guided bus tours with regular stops to walk around the sites of Chaplain Mesa.
Adventure Correspondent Cameron L. Martindell is a freelance travel and expedition writer, photographer and filmmaker focused on family and adventure topics. He and his wife Jordan are based in Boulder, Colorado, and are parents to Rosie, 3, and Rey, 3 months. Visit Cameron’s personal travel page, Off Yonder.