Two Days in Mesa Verde National Park
By Courtney Johnson
Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado was designated on June 29th, 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. The park, whose name is Spanish for “green table, ” was established to “preserve the works of man,” Roosevelt declared, referring to the archeological sites built by the Ancestral Puebloans who inhabited Mesa Verde from approximately 550 A.D. to 1300 A.D. Today, the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings.
The park is quite large, so two great resources for trip-planning ahead of time are the Mesa Verde Online Virtual Ranger Station and the Mesa Verde National Park Mobile App especially during the current closures and COVID restrictions. While the park is open year-round, tours are only available weather permitting, from the middle to the end of May to mid-October. Access to the major cliff dwellings including Balcony House, Cliff Palace and Square Tower are by tour only. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling the reservation line. Access to the dwellings varies from year to year, based on restoration efforts and other factors. Please note that tours were not available during 2020 due to government restrictions.
Mesa Verde National Park, photo by Courtney Johnson.
While making plans to visit, note that there is very little lodging within the park. Most visitors choose to stay in the neighboring towns of Cortez or Mancos. If you prefer to stay in the park, you will want to book lodging well ahead of time. The Far View Lodge is open from around Memorial Day to the end of September. The balcony from each room offers views into three different states, and it is roughly a 15-20 minute drive to the major cliff dwellings from the lodge. The Morefield Campground is fully open Memorial Weekend through the end of September with tent, trailer and hook up RV sites. Weather dependent, the campground may stay open in October with no services.
Pre-planning aside, the first stop any visitor should make is to the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center, located before the main park entrance. Exhibits highlight the ways of life for the Ancestral Puebloans while rangers and volunteers will help you make the most of your visit. If you come to the park from January to mid-March, the visitor center is where you will stop to pay the daily entrance fee or show your park pass. Children should be sure to pick up their free Junior Ranger badge book at the center to complete while they visit the park.
My Must Do Picks at Mesa Verde National Park
Visit the Visitor Center and Chapin Mesa Museum. Talk with rangers or archeologists about the dwellings, artifacts, and other pieces of history that have been found in the park. See some of the artifacts and view dioramas showcasing the past when Ancestral Puebloans inhabited the area.
Take a Ranger Guided Tour to Visit the Dwellings. I recommend purchasing tickets in advance to see Balcony House, Cliff Palace, Square Tower House and other guided dwelling tours. Tickets can be purchased online at recreation.gov. Sunrise, morning or evening tours are recommended because the high desert climate means it is very hot during the day.
Petroglyph Point, photo by Courtney Johnson.
Hike Spruce Tree House and the Petroglyph Point Trail. The Petroglyph Point trail begins on the paved trail that takes you to the entrance for a guided tour of Spruce Tree House, the third largest dwelling in the park. Currently there are no tours offered for Spruce Tree House due to rock instability. Views of Spruce Tree House can be seen from the top near the Chapin Mesa Museum and before the Petroglyph Point Trail heads up and to the right into Spruce Canyon. The trail is a rugged 2.8 mile intermediate loop and passes by many ruins as you climb up, down, and over rocks and large tree roots to the panel, a (roughly) 20-foot-wide mix of petroglyphs of animals, humans, and handprints. After the panel, the trail climbs up over the ridge to a rim. The trail is now a mostly flat gravel path back to the museum. You can get an additional view of Spruce Tree House from across the canyon before this loop trail ends.
Explore the Knife Edge Trail. Knife Edge Road was once the original road into the park’ now this trail gives you views of Montezuma Valley, Point Lookout Sandstone, and the San Miguel and Abajo Mountains. The trail is a short two-mile round trip out and back with the turnaround allowing sweeping views of Sleeping Ute Mountain. Be sure to pay the nominal fee for the guidebook that details the fauna, flora and other highlights you can find along the trail. There is little to no shade on this hike, so get out early or later in the day to enjoy this one. The trail is fairly flat with the biggest elevation gain at the beginning of the hike.
Take a self-guided tour by driving Mesa Top Loop Road. A six-mile loop, the road takes you past some of the best archeological sites in the park. Including overlooks for Cliff Palace and Square Top House, there are 12 stops along the way to see . This road is open from 8:00 a.m. to sunset year round. Be sure to download the audio tour to accompany the drive.
Mesa Verde National Park, photo by Courtney Johnson.
View the stars. Due to the lack of major metropolitan areas in the Four Corners region, there is a void of light pollution, and the park is currently bidding to be recognized by the International Dark-Sky Association as an International Dark Sky Park. The park does not offer any formal stargazing programs, but there are several areas in the park that are great for catching a view of the Milky Way, planets, and constellations. The Morefield Campground is very dark, allowing for visitors' eyes to adjust quickly for night sky viewing. The Manco and Montezuma Overlooks are also recommended viewing areas.
Find quiet at Wetherill Mesa. Only open to tours in the summer months (mid-May-October), Wetherill Mesa is known as the quiet part of the park. Step House is open for self-guided tours while Long House is by guided tour only. A 2.25 mile round-trip hike on the Badger House Community Trail takes you to a pit house, village and two houses. In the off-season, trails are open for hiking and biking, but there are no services. Note, this part of the park was closed this summer due to COVID restrictions.
Mesa Verde National Park, photo by Courtney Johnson.
If you Have Extra Time:
Attend a Campfire Program. A ranger-led tradition since 1907, the Campfire Program is held nightly during the summer at the Morefield Amphitheater. The evening provides the perfect opportunity to hear from experts about the history of Mesa Verde in a 45-60 minute presentation. Bring your flashlight!
Get the Far View. Visit villages where farming once took place on the paved path including Far View House, Coyote Village and Megalithic House. The Far View sites are open year round.
Have Dinner at the Award Winning Metate Restaurant. Open seasonally from May-October, the food is exquisite at the Metatate Restaurant. Enjoy the view as you dine on sustainable local cuisine.
On the Way:
The park entrance is roughly a seven-hour drive from Denver, and there are two routes from DIA/the Mile High City. Choose your own adventure, per these suggested stops:
If you take 285 to 112 to 160…
Raft or kayak in Buena Vista or Salida
See the 100 foot waterfall known as Treasure Falls near Wolf Creek Pass
Tour Chimney Rock National Monument
Visit the hot springs in Pagosa Springs
Grab jerky and see reindeer in Del Norte
Explore the town of Durango
If you take I-70 to 50 to 550 to 160…
Visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Tour Colorado National Monument
SUP or paddle the Colorado River or at Ridgeway State Park
Pick some fruit in Palisade
Take the gondola in Telluride
Tour a mine in Ouray
From Albuquerque, Mesa Verde is a four-hour and fifteen minute drive. Here are suggested stops along the shortest timed route:
From Albuquerque via 550 to 574 to 140 to 160…
Stop at Aztec Ruins National Monument
Check out the hoodoos at the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Study Area
Visit the Salmon Ruins
Explore Chaco Canyon
Courtney Johnson is a freelance sports and parenting writer based in Erie, Colorado. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband AJ and six-year-old daughter Emma. Follow her adventures at http://adventureswithmylittleray.com.
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