Mesa Verde National Park is an experience you don’t want to miss. This park was on our way to Marble Canyon, our final destination this past Wednesday resulting in having very limited time to explore it. Make sure you don’t do what we did. We planned 3 hours at the park and spent 4 ½. To do it justice you need at least an entire day.
You’ll know why you need the whole day the moment you come around a huge bend on US Highway 160 heading west and see the 2,000 foot above the plain mesa looming into the sky – can you say oohh, aahh? Another reason you need more than ½ day is because this park is huge. When you make it to the park entrance there is still another 15 miles to go to get to the Far View Visitors center and this is a stop and look at the incredible vistas 15 miles. While you travel up from roughly 6,500 ft elevation to 8,500 ft elevation the drive is full of spectacular scenic pullovers and you will want to take plenty of pictures. Drive cautiously, the trip is steep, curvaceous and without guardrails in some places.
Far View Visitor Center is the tourist command operation for Mesa Verde. This is where you will begin the tour in experiencing the ancient culture and society of the ancestral Puebloan peoples – also known as the Anasazi, aka cliff dwellers. There are many different tours available in the park: self guided and ranger guided. Those that are ranger guided are an additional, minimal cost.
Because of the higher elevations remember to bring plenty of water to keep hydrated (we recommend the Sport Berkey portable personal water system), especially if you plan on exploring any of the cliff dwellings as some of these hikes are strenuous and involve some climbing up paved and unpaved trails as well as ladders. There are bathrooms at the Far View visitor’s center and some of the cliff dwelling locations.
Mesa Verde is the nation’s largest archeological preserve and it features 4,000 archeological sites, including an amazing 600 cliff dwellings of which only a few are accessible to tourists. In addition to the incredible indigenous cliff dwelling Indian history, there is a vast array of wildflowers, wild edible plants, birds and other wildlife that make their home on the mesa.
If you are looking for additional adventure or desire a longer stay in Mesa Verde national Park itself, you may want to consider the campground or the Far View Lodge. While there is a tremendous amount of opportunity for sightseeing, hiking and exploring in Colorado, if you are going to the Southwest, Mesa Verde is one national park that may be on your travel bucket list.
Enjoy the additional photos below:
Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings
Tags: Destinations, National Parks