Pets may not be left unattended in rooms or vehicles. Mesa Verde National Park has accessibility limitations for people with vision, hearing, or mobility impairments. Visit the National Park Service website for more information. Call Us. How does one tour the ancient sites and cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde? When can we get into Mesa Verde National Park?
How much is the entrance fee for Mesa Verde National Park? When are different archaeological sites open in Mesa Verde? How long will it take to see Mesa Verde National Park?
Are guided tours of Mesa Verde National Park available? Is there lodging in Mesa Verde National Park? This park preserves the ancient Puebloan cliff dwellings and archeological sites that are hundreds of years old.
Short hikes, scenic drives, and viewpoints make the to-do list, but the best way to experience this park is to get up close with the cliff dwellings on a tour. Here are ten best things to do in Mesa Verde National Park. While in Mesa Verde National Park, please practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace: plan ahead, stay on the trails, pack out what you bring to the hiking trails, properly dispose of waste, leave areas as you found them, minimize campfire impacts, be considerate of other hikers, and do not approach or feed wildlife.
Mesa Verde officially became a national park on June 29, This park preserves more than 5, archeological sites, including cliff dwellings. This is the largest archaeological preserve in the United States. The first cliff dwellings were built and inhabited roughly years ago.
During the height of the Puebloan civilization, it is estimated that 22, people lived here. The civilization thrived until the late 13th century, when drought, cold temperatures, and overpopulation forced the Puebloans to emigrate to New Mexico and Arizona. There is one entrance into the park and it is located on Highway After passing through the main entrance, you will wind your way up on top of the mesa.
Along the way you will pass a campground, several scenic overlooks, and a few hiking trails. Near the end of this drive, the road forks again. Note: There are road closures on the Cliff Palace Loop in for road construction.
Get the full details on the National Park Service website. It takes almost one hour to drive from the main entrance to the end of Wetherill Mesa. Here are 10 great things to do in Mesa Verde. If you save the map below to your Google account, all of the points of interest will appear on your Google map. How to Use This Map: Click the tab in the top left hand corner of the map to view the layers cliff dwellings, viewpoints, etc.
You can click the check marks to hide or show layers. If you click the icons on the map, you can get more information about each point of interest. If you click the star next to the title of the map, this map will be added to your Google Maps account. Balcony House, Cliff Palace, and Long House cliff dwellings can only be visited on a ranger-guided tour.
Get full details on the National Park Service website. Cliff Palace. Tours last 1 hour and you will walk meters a quarter mile round trip and climb four ladders. On the tour, you will get the best views. This viewpoint is located along the walk to the cliff dwelling but you can still go here even if you are not taking a tour. Another place to get a nice view of Cliff Palace is from Sun Temple, but you will be farther away, so I recommend bringing a telephoto lens if you have one.
Balcony House. This one-hour tour is the most adventurous cliff dwelling tour in Mesa Verde. Long House. This in-depth tour lasts 2 hours.
You will walk just over 2 miles and climb several ladders. It is located on Wetherill Mesa, which is a long drive from the other main sites in Mesa Verde, so keep this in mind when choosing which tour you want to do.
There are also special tours that are available. Get the full list on the National Park Service website. Tour tickets can be purchased online through recreation. A small percentage of tickets will be available the same day as the tour on a first-come first-served basis.
To make sure you get the tour and time you want, make your reservation in advance. Learn more here. Tours of the cliff dwellings are offered roughly from the end of May through September or October, although each cliff dwelling has a slightly different schedule.
If you want to visit a cliff dwelling and prefer to take a self-guided tour, put Step House on your list. On this tour, you will walk through the cliff dwelling, see the pithouse, and even see a few petroglyphs. This tour takes about an hour. Spruce Tree House is the best-preserved cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde.
Currently, tours are not being offered of this cliff dwelling, but you can get a great view of it from the Spruce Tree Overlook, near the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. This 2. It passes the viewpoint for Spruce Tree House before continuing along the top of the mesa. Along the way, you get nice views of Spruce and Navajo Canyons. Author Mikaela Ruland crawling through the 12 ft. But what if you only have 48 hours? We have you covered!
Buy tickets in advance at recreation. The visitor center is open from a. While you still have to climb exposed ladders, they are shorter and there is no crawling through tight tunnels involved! The museum is home to impressive dioramas, artifacts, a gift shop and an informative movie. Make an advance reservation for dinner at the Metate Room www.
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