Mesa Verde National Park is in the southwest corner of Colorado and is the largest and most well-preserved archeological site in North America. Once you get there you can hike, camp, and take tours of the cliff dwellings.
Mesa Verde was the home of the Puebloan people as far back as 550 AD. In the late 1100s they moved from the Mesas to the cliffs where the overhanging structures offered protection from the elements. They built houses and lived among the cliffs for many years. After about 600 years the people started moving away and nobody is really sure why.
The only places to stay in the park are the Far View Lodge and Morefield Campground. Both are closed during the winter months. Operating dates generally start the third week of April, and they usually close around the third week of October. If you’re going to stay in the lodge, it’s $135 per night, if you’re camping or hanging out in the RV it’s a $38 dollars per night. Although lodging in the park is only available from April to October, Mesa Verde is open year-round. If you’re there during the winter months, or can’t find room in the park, the town of Cortez is about fifteen minutes away and they have a selection of hotels and restaurants.
The entrance to Mesa Verde is a scenic thirty-minute drive to the visitor center and main cliff dwellings. Along the way you’ll pass the campground and lodge, along with several fantastic overlooks.
There are nearly 600 cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park, but these are the five main cliff dwelling archeological sites.
- Balcony House
- Cliff Palace
- Long House
- Square Tower House
- Step House
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Balcony House
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To get to this you need to climb up a ladder on the side of a cliff! No problem, it’s only a 32-foot ladder. There are 40 rooms in the dwelling, and you can only get there on a ranger guided tour. Once you’ve scaled the entrance ladder there are more ladders and even a tunnel that you go through. The tour lasts about an hour and is an adventurous tour, if you’re not afraid of heights, put this one on your list.
Cliff Palace
At 150 rooms Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park, not to mention the most famous. Made out of the surrounding sandstone, the rooms were constructed with sandstone, wooden beams, and mortar. Ranger led tours are available for Cliff Palace. You traverse about 1/4 mile during the hour-long tour, and you’ll climb four ladders.
Long House in Mesa Verde National Park
The Long house is on the Mesa Top Loop Road, which forks off the main road in the Far View Area, this is a long way from the Cliff Palace and Balcony House, so keep that in mind when you’re making plans. There are 150 rooms and is the second largest dwelling in the park. It’s a two-mile trip that features ladders and an elevation gain of 130 feet. The ranger led tour lasts about 90 minutes.
Step House
You don’t need reservations for the Step House. It’s a self-guided tour of an area that was inhabited from 600 CE to 1200 CE. It has both pit houses from the early Puebloans to the cliff dwellings of the most recent inhabitants. The one-mile hike takes you on a dirt paved trail with stairs. Be sure to plan your hike so that you’re at the entrance before the 2:45 pm cut-off.
Square Tower House
If you want to go to the Square Tower House, you’re going to have to pay for it, physically. This strenuous hike features drop-offs, switchbacks, two ladders, and a walk along a narrow cliff ledge. Plus, scrambling over boulders and hiking steep gravel trails that descend 120 feet, all at an altitude of 7,000 feet. Reservations are required for the once daily ranger led tour. Once you get there, you’ll find the tallest structure in the park with an intact Kiva Roof and surrounding rock art. We shouldn’t need to say this but be sure to bring plenty of water.
Hiking Trails in Mesa Verde National Park
Other than the trails to the dwellings, there are more trails in the park.
Petroglyph Point Trail
The appropriately name Petroglyph Point Trail is a 2.5-mile loop strenuous trail that gives you great views of Navajo and Spruce Canyons. The turnaround is at Petroglyph Point which gives you even more views of the Spruce Tree House, and you’ll see petroglyphs along the way.
Spruce Canyon Trail
The Spruce Canyon Trial is another strenuous trail with a 558 feet elevation change. Descending down to Spruce Canyon on a trail with numerous switchbacks, the diverse ecosystem of Mesa Verde is visible.
Soda Canyon Overlook
The Soda Canyon Overlook Trail is an easy hike through a pinyon-juniper forest that takes you to an overlook of the Balcony House and other cliff dwellings.
Knife Edge Trail at Mesa Verde National Park
If you’re looking for great sunset views, hop on this easy two-mile roundtrip trail along the old park road.
Point Lookout Trail
A moderate 2-mile trail with a 400-foot elevation change will give you spectacular views of the San Juan and La Plata mountains.
Prater Ridge Trail
You’re going to have to bulk up for this almost 8-mile trail with a 675-foot elevation change. Climb 1.1 miles to the top of Prater Ridge and you have your choice of the north loop, the south loop, or both. The north loop follows the edge of the mesa and overlooks Montezuma Valley, if you choose the south loop, you’ll be rewarded with views of the Prater and Morefield Valleys.
The Far View Sites in Mesa Verde National Park
Explore what used to be the Puebloan farming community between 900 and 1300 AD. Archeological sites on top of the mesa demonstrate how people lived and farmed. You can see the remains of an old reservoir, along with the Far View House, and four other dwellings.
Sun Temple
This ceremonial structure on Wetherhill Mesa had walls as high as 14 feet when it was built. From the overlook you get a great view of Cliff Palace.
If you’re going to Mesa Verde National Park for just a day or two, then Cliff Palace, Balcony House, and Petroglyph Trail should be on your to do list. For more than that, explore until you’re exhausted, you won’t regret it.
Between April and October is the best time to visit since the tours are active at that time and the Far View Lodge and Morefield campground are open.
Once you’re done with Mesa Verde, your next adventure should be Toroweap Overlook on the Grand Canyon North Rim
