Travel Guide to Mesa Verde National Park
♦ Routes (free): Detailed travel itineraries in USA
"Mesa Verde" (a Spanish name meaning: "The Green Table") is a National Park that wonderfully preserves a rich and thriving 1000-year-old culture of ancient Indian tribes who lived in the area starting from the year 550 AD. The archaeological sites in the park are among the most preserved and impressive in the entire USA. The place was declared a national park as early as 1906 and was the first national park intended to preserve man-made creations (and not nature). In 1978, it was also declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The park is located on a flat plateau that rises to a height of about 650 meters above the valley surrounding it.
In the reserve, there are about 4000 archaeological sites, including about 600 "cliff dwellings" (CLIFF DWELLINGS), some well-preserved and some destroyed over generations. The cliff dwellings are houses carved into giant rock blocks and caves carved into the cliff walls. They cannot be reached unless climbing high ladders. Living in such a place provided excellent protection against potential enemies. The ancient residents lived in the multi-room cliff dwellings for less than a hundred years. Before that, they lived in simpler houses on the mountaintop. Forty cliff dwellings and pueblos can be spotted from the roads passing through the park and from the observation points in the park. In the year 1300, Mesa Verde was completely abandoned suddenly. There are several theories regarding the sudden departure of all the area's residents. The most common theory is that the residents exhausted the land and natural resources until they were depleted, and when they were left without food and water, they left the area and searched for a more fertile place. Since they belonged to an organized and cohesive society, they all left together, migrated south, and settled in the states of New Mexico and Arizona, where there were already other Indian tribes. Archaeologists call the ancient tribes that lived in the place "Anasazi" (a name taken from the Indian language meaning: ancient ones), but the scientific name given to them is: ANCESTRAL PUEBLOANS.
Visiting the park allows a glimpse into the lifestyle of the 24 ancient Indian tribes that resided there and learning about their culture and customs. Entrance is free for annual National Park pass holders. Guided tours by Rangers, the park guards, are provided for a small additional fee. Tickets for the tours can be purchased at the park's visitor center named: FAR VIEW VISITOR CENTER which is located in the center of the park. The park area is about 52,000 acres and it is worth dedicating at least a full day to visiting it.
♦ Guided or independent tour in Mesa Verde Park:
There is also an archaeological museum in the park called: CHAPIN MESA, located 32 km from the park entrance. The park is open all year round, but the visitor center and some of the trails and roads are closed in winter due to snow and ice. All roads and all services in the park are open from mid-May to mid-October. Most visitors arrive at the park in July-August, which creates crowding in the park, so it is advisable to arrive as early as possible in the morning. Over 600,000 visitors arrive at the park annually. Wild plants bloom in the park between the months of April and September. To check the condition of the roads and weather conditions, it is advisable to call: 970-529-4461. Visitors to the park are recommended to bring binoculars.
♦ Recommended hotels for park visitors:
♦ Inside the park, there is a hotel called: Far View Lodge, featuring 150 rooms, the hotel is open from mid-April to mid-October. In the hotel, there is a steak and fish restaurant named: Metate Room. The site is located about 6.5 km from the park entrance.
♦ It is recommended to stay in the small and pleasant town of Cortez which has several motels and restaurants:
-Hotel Holiday Inn Express Mesa Verde-Cortez, an IHG Hotel
A 3-star hotel with family rooms for up to 4 adults and 3 children. Free parking and internet. Breakfast is available.
-Hotel Hampton Inn Mesa Verde/Cortez Co
A 3-star hotel with family rooms for up to 4 adults and 3 children. Pool. Free parking and wireless internet. Breakfast is available.
♦ One can also stay in the town of Durango, located east of the park: a 4-star hotel General Palmer Hotel located in the town center, designed in Victorian style. Free wireless internet and parking. Includes breakfast.
♦ A small, quite cheap motel in the town of Mancos is: Mesa Verde Motel, suitable for families with 3-7 people. Free wireless internet and parking.
Location:
The park is located in southwest Colorado in the "FOUR CORNERS" region, the only place in all of the United States where four states border each other: Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. The nearest settlement is the town of Cortez. From it, you should drive on road US 160 towards the east for about 15 km until the park entrance. To reach the visitor center, you need to drive inside the park on a winding road for another 24 km. The nearest airports to the park are in Cortez and Durango (58 km east of the park), both relatively small airports. The nearest international airports are located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 420 km southeast of Mesa Verde; in Salt Lake City, Utah, 573 km northwest of the park; and in Denver, Colorado, 610 km northeast of the park. Nearby attractive places that can be combined with a trip to Mesa Verde: Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, the National Monuments "Natural Bridges" and Navajo, the impressive Monument Valley park, and many tourist sites in the states of New Mexico and Colorado.
Itineraries including Mesa Verde Park
Itineraries combining this park with other destinations are given in the articles:
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison which is combined with Utah parks: Arches and Canyonlands.
Trip in Arches and Canyonlands National Park where an additional route is given that also combines Capitol Reef Park in Utah and the Petrified Forest in Arizona.
Weather:
In summer, days are hot and the temperature reaches over 30 degrees Celsius. In the evening, temperatures are comfortable, about 20 degrees Celsius. In July-August, thunderstorms and lightning are common in the afternoon. In autumn, days are warm but nights are cold and there is a chance of snow as early as October. In winter, temperatures are low and reach up to -10 degrees Celsius. The average snow height is 2-2.5 meters. In spring, temperatures can change drastically and range from zero degrees Celsius and snow to 23 degrees Celsius on a sunny day.
Where to visit in the park:
It is worth starting the visit to the park at the FAR VIEW VISITOR CENTER located in the heart of the park, 24 km from the entrance, to obtain maps and explanations about the park, watch its interactive display on the ancient inhabitants, their culture and art, archaeology, flora and fauna in the area, and purchase tickets for guided tours by park rangers.
It is highly recommended to join these impressive tours, which include explanations about the lifestyle of the ancient Indians in the area while walking among their houses and ritual sites. Additionally, you will learn about the flora and fauna in the area. Only in these guided tours is it possible to enter the cliff dwellings. It is forbidden to enter them independently. The tours are not suitable for the disabled or children under age 5 but are certainly suitable for families with older children.
The three main guided tours are:
"Cliff Palace" (CLIFF PALACE) – This is the largest cliff dwelling in the park, featuring 150 rooms where more than a hundred Indians lived. It is located in the eastern wall of Cliff Canyon. During the one-hour tour, you will climb five ladders between 2.6-3 meters high each and also climb a steep slope 30 meters high. The total distance covered is quite short: only 400 meters. The tour departs from an observation point named: CLIFF PALACE OVERLOOK located 13 km (about twenty minutes' drive) from the visitor center. Tours take place from early April to early November. In summer, the tour departs every half hour between 9:00-18:00, while in spring and autumn, it departs every hour between 9:00-17:00.
"Balcony House" (BALCONY HOUSE) – A cliff house with 40 rooms considered one of the highest cliff dwellings in the area. it is located in the western wall of Soda Canyon. Only meticulous architectural planning could have allowed the building of a house in such a strategic and problematic location, so this house is a classic example of the architecture used by the ancient Indian tribes. During this adventurous tour, you will climb 5 ladders, one of them 10 meters long, climb a steep slope 30 meters high, and crawl in a tunnel 4 meters long and 46 cm wide. A panoramic view of the nearby Soda Canyon is seen from the rooms. The tour is not recommended for those suffering from a fear of heights or claustrophobia. Tour duration: about an hour. The tour departs from the Balcony House parking lot located 16 km from the visitor center (about twenty-five minutes' drive). Tours take place from mid-May to mid-October. In summer, the tour departs every half hour between 9:00-17:30, and in spring and autumn, tours depart every hour between 9:00-17:00.
"Long House" (LONG HOUSE) - Located in the WETHERILL MESA area in the western part of the park. This is the second-largest cliff house in the park (after "Cliff Palace") and includes 150 rooms and 21 kivas (ritual rooms). This tour, which lasts about an hour and a half, involves climbing three ladders 4.5 meters long each and a steep climb of 40 meters. The total walking distance is 1.2 km. The tour starts at the Wetherill Mesa information center about 19 km from the visitor center (about 45 minutes' drive). Tours take place from late May to early September between 10:00-16:00.
Due to the high demand for these tours, it is advisable to purchase tickets for them as soon as you arrive at the park. At the height of the tourist season (summer months), it is only possible to purchase tickets for one of the two tours: "Cliff Palace" or "Balcony House".
In addition, guided tours are held in various parts of the park that last a full day or half a day and include travel in buses and walking tours.
Additional sites in the park that can be toured independently are:
CHAPIN MESA ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM - The museum features exhibits illustrating the changing lifestyle of the ancient Indians who lived in the area until the year 1300. Additionally, an impressive exhibition of Indian jewelry and handiwork is displayed, including original weaving works from 1500 years ago. Another display is a collection of jars decorated with black geometric shapes on a white background. Every half hour, a 25-minute video is screened at the museum. The museum is located 8 km from the visitor center (about fifteen minutes' drive). Open daily from 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM. In the winter months, the museum closes at 5:00 PM. Two hiking trails depart from the museum. A recommended trail is to Petroglyph Point (PETROGLYPH POINT TRAIL). You must register at the trailhead and take a brochure containing much information on the plants growing along the trail and their prehistoric uses. The trail passes at the base of the cliff, on the eastern side of Spruce Tree Canyon, reaches a large collection of ancient wall paintings, and returns through the top of the mesa. The circular route length is about 4.5 km and you should dedicate about two hours to the hike. The trail is open to visitors from mid-May to mid-October.
SPRUCE TREE HOUSE is considered the best-preserved cliff dwelling in the park and also one of the largest in the area. The house contained about 100-125 people and features eight kivas, three of which have a reconstructed ceiling. Into one of the ritual rooms, it is possible to descend via a ladder passing through the round hole in its roof. The house is built inside a giant niche in the mountain over 65 meters wide and serves as a wonderful example of the stone building techniques and skills of the ancient Indians. 90 percent of the stonework on site is original. Rangers wandering among the cliff house rooms will be happy to answer your questions. A trail about 400 meters long (each direction) leads to the cliff house, departing from the archaeological museum. The trail passes through the canyon floor through a thicket of oak trees. The site is open to visitors for independent touring in the summer months between 8:30-18:30 and in spring and autumn between 9:00-17:00. In the winter months, the place can only be visited in organized tours departing three times a day.
MESA TOP LOOP ROAD is the most popular area for touring in the park. It consists of two one-way loop trails about 10 km long each. The road passes through sites representing 600 years of the local inhabitants' history. Along the road are several observation points on about 40 cliff dwellings and ancient villages. The most recommended are: SUN POINT OVERLOOK, SQUARE TOWER HOUSE, and the "Sun Temple" (SUN TEMPLE). The road is open daily from 8 AM until nightfall.
FAR VIEW SITES include five ancient villages from periods preceding the construction of the cliff houses (between the years 500-1100 AD) which can be seen in an independent tour along a 1.2 km trail located not far from the visitor center. The trail is open to visitors from 8 AM until sunset.
PARK POINT AND MOREFIELD TRAILS This is the highest point in the park. Its height: 2700 meters above sea level. It is located between the park entrance and the visitor center and offers a magnificent view of the valley below and distant peaks, including distant areas in the adjacent states: Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. From this point, three hiking trails depart to observation points of the surrounding landscapes.
WETHERILL MESA SITES is the quieter side of the park. The number of visitors there is much smaller, so at the peak of the tourist season, it is worth visiting to get away slightly from the crowd of visitors. The area is open to visitors only in the summer months. A small train can be taken between the different sites in the area. The site was opened to visitors only in 1972 after thorough archaeological excavations, and a steep road leads to it. Among the main attractions in the area (in addition to the "Long House" which can only be visited in a guided tour), one can count the 0.8 km trail to the "Step House" (STEP HOUSE) and a trail of similar length to the "Badger House" (BADGER HOUSE) – on both you can walk near the remains of ancient houses.
A good observation point in the area is: NORDENSKIOLD #16 CANYON OVERLOOK.
At the FAR VIEW LODGE hotel, a multimedia display called ANASAZI (The Ancient Indians) is screened every evening, describing the history and lifestyle of the ancient inhabitants of the region and the manner in which the cliff dwellings in the park were discovered. The film includes old photos of the region taken as early as 1891. Screened daily from late April to mid-October between 18:30-21:30.