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On December 18th, 1888, two cowboys, Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law Charlie Mason, were riding across the mesa top looking for stray cattle. At the edge of the pinyon and juniper forest surrounding them lay a vast canyon. They were across the canyon near Sun Temple. Through the blowing snow they could distinguish something in the cliffs which looked like “a magnificent city.” These ranchers from the Mancos Valley may have been the first white men to see what they called “Cliff Palace.” After further exploration, they entered the dwelling and made a small collection of artifacts before leaving for the day. In the next 18 years these same men, as well as various exploring parties and tourist groups, made expeditions into Mesa Verde. Many of the early visitors to the Mesa Verde area camped in the dwellings for days or weeks at a time while they were sightseeing or looking for stray cattle. No laws protected the sites at the time, and earlier visitors often removed artifacts or defaced the sites.

Protection for the dwellings came with the establishment of Mesa Verde National Park in 1906, yet it was not until 1909 that Jesse Walter Fewkes of the Smithsonian Institution excavated and first stabilized Cliff Palace. Jesse Nusbaum excavated Balcony House in 1910. Nusbaum was not only an accomplished archeologist; he was also one of the first Superintendents of Mesa Verde National Park. The park, containing 52,073 acres of Federal land, entertains over 400,000 visitors a year.

Mesa Verde National Park is open every day of the year. Schedules of services and sites vary throughout the year. Far View Visitor Center should be your first stop for information and tour tickets, located 15 miles (25km) from the park entrance. Tickets for Cliff Palace, Balcony House, and Long House must be purchased here. Restrooms and a bookstore are available here. Historic Native American jewelry, pottery, and basket displays and the Nordenskiold exhibit are also to be seen. It is open May 30 to October 10, 8AM to 5:00PM. Chapin Mesa Museum is open from 8AM to 6:30PM mid-April to mid-October; 8AM to 5PM the rest of the year.

Maximum protection must be given to the dwellings in order to preserve them. You must be accompanied by a Park Ranger to enter Cliff Palace, Long House and Balcony House alcove sites. Tours are strenuous. Due to high demand for these tours during the busy season, you are asked to choose only one tour per day between Cliff Palace and Balcony House. Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde’s and North America’s largest cliff dwelling is a one hour tour that involves climbing five 8-10 ft (2.6-3m) ladders for a 100 ft (30m) vertical climb. Total walking distance is about ¼-mile (400m). Balcony House is a one hour tour that involves climbing a 32 ft (10m) ladder to gain entrance, crawling 12 ft (4m) through a 1½ ft (46cm) wide tunnel, and climbing up a 60 ft (20m) open rock face involving two 10 ft (3m) ladders to exit the site. Long House is a one and a half hour tour that involves climbing two 15 ft (4.5m) ladders within the site. The round trip hike is 3/4 mile (1.2km), with a 130 ft (40m) gain in elevation upon exiting.

Mesa Verde National Park is the premier archeological park in the United States and a World Cultural Heritage Site. The cultural and natural resources in the Mesa Verde region are significant both nationally and internationally. On June 29, 2006 Mesa Verde will celebrate 100 years as the first national park set aside to preserve the works of humankind. To commemorate such a significant milestone, Mesa Verde National Park staff, the Mesa Verde Museum Association, and ARAmark Mesa Verde Company, and surrounding communities are working together to plan a year long celebration in 2006.

There are over 20 mesa top sites and view points which may be visited on your own. Some sites are closed during winter. Archeological sites of many different types are accessible to visitors. They range from pithouses built during the 500s to the cliff dwellings of the 1200s. The cliff dwellings are the most spectacular, but the mesa top pithouses and pueblos are equally important. The pithouses were built in alcoves and on the mesa tops. Scores of pithouse villages have been found on the mesas, and two pithouses have been reconstructed at Mesa Verde. The exact number of dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park is unknown.

The sites found at Far View are a series of surface structures that date to different time periods. Located close to each other and linked by a trail system are several excavated and stabilized sites that include Far View House, Pipe Shrine House, Coyote Village, Far View Reservoir, Megalithic House, and Far View Tower. Most of the sites found at Far View were probably built prior to the construction of Cliff Palace and other Cliff Dwellings.

Often visitors to the park look at the size of the doorways and wonder about the size of the people who once lived here. An average man was about 5’4″ to 5’5″ (163cm) tall, while an average woman was 5′ to 5’1″ (152cm). If you compare them with European people of the same time period, they would have been about the same size. Compared with today, the Ancestral Puebloan’s average life span was relatively short, due, in part, to the high infant mortality rate. Approximately 50% of the children died before they reached the age of 5. Most people lived an average of 32-34 years; however some people did live into their 50s and 60s.

The people who lived in Mesa Verde are sometimes referred to as the “Anasazi,” a Navajo Indian word meaning “ancient ones” or “ancient foreigners.” In recognition that the people who once lived here are not only the ancestors of some of the Navajo, but also ancestral to most tribes living in the southwest, we now refer to the ancient people of Mesa Verde as the Ancestral Puebloan people. There are 24 tribes that affirm an ancestral affiliation with Mesa Verde National Park. Tribes affiliated with the park include all of the pueblos of New Mexico, the Hopi tribe in Arizona, as well as the Ute and Navajo peoples.

The Ancestral Puebloan people moved up onto the mesa somewhere around AD 500. The residents of Cliff Palace were farmers who worked fields on the mesa tops. Although they used the cliff alcoves consistently throughout the time they were in the area, they did not build the cliff dwellings as such until around AD 1200. The dwellings represent a massive construction project, yet the people lived in them only about 75 to 100 years. By AD 1300 they had migrated on to other areas to the south. Although there are many theories about why they left their homes, we really don’t know the exact reason why they moved.

Sandstone, mortar and wooden beams were the three primary construction materials used. The Ancestral Puebloans shaped each sandstone block using harder stones collected from nearby river beds. The mortar between the blocks is a mixture of local soil, water and ash. Fitted in the mortar are tiny pieces of stone called “chinking”. Chinking stones fill in the gaps within the mortar and added structural stability to the walls. Over the surface of many walls, the people placed a thin coating of paint, called plaster, the first things to erode with time.

The rock seen is Cliffhouse Sandstone, geologically deposited during the Cretaceous Period. Since sandstone is a very porous material, moisture seeps right down through it. Beneath the layer of sandstone, however, is a layer of shale through which the moisture cannot penetrate. In the winter months, when the moisture freezes and expands, chunks of sandstone are cracked and loosened. Later these pieces collapse, forming alcoves such as the ones found here.

The majority of alcoves within Mesa Verde are small crevices or ledges able to accommodate only a few small rooms. Very few are large enough to house a dwelling the size of Cliff Palace. Recent studies reveal that Cliff Palace contained 150 rooms and 23 kivas and had a population of approximately 100 people. Out of the nearly 600 cliff dwellings concentrated within the boundaries of the park, 75% contain only 1-5 rooms each, and many are single room storage units. If you visit Cliff Palace you will enter an exceptionally large dwelling which may have had special significance to the original occupants. It is thought that Cliff Palace was a social, administrative site with high ceremonial usage.

Most of the cliff dwellings are best photographed in mid-to-late afternoon. During mid and late fall and early and mid spring the sun is lower in the southern sky and more light strikes the cliff dwellings. Winter light is generally less bright. On overcast days the soft light allows for photos to be taken that will show good details and subtle colors. During the winter months there is less vegetation obstructing views from the overlooks after the scrub oak has lost its leaves for the season.

Hiking in Mesa Verde National Park is restricted and allowed only on designated trails. They range in distance of 100 feet to 7.5 miles round trip and can be strenuous. Note that Petroglyph Point Trail and Spruce Canyon Trail require registration before use as they are gated. There are three trails starting from Morefield Campground that offer good views of the landscape; two begin at Wetherill Mesa Kiosk; and several others lead to the different cliff houses. There are five Nature Trails in the Chapin Mesa area that allow the visitor to see plants, animals and animal tracks, rugged vistas, and view some of the dwellings from a distance and up close.

If bird watching is your preference, Mesa Verde National Park is home to several distinct habitats. The types of bird species which you will encounter depends on the habitat present. Take the Petroglyph Point or Spruce Canyon Trail and look for warblers, flycatchers, woodpeckers, jays, hawks, chickadees, titmice, and other species. The Knife Edge Trail also has good birding. If you are lucky, you may see a peregrine falcon or a golden eagle soar from its nest out across the Montezuma Valley. The Park Point area is a good place to see hawks, towhees, grouse and eagles, in addition to the many species listed above. Take one of the county roads west of Mancos and follow the road along the Mancos River. You will see ducks, Canada geese, great blue herons, possibly an American dipper, flocks of western and mountain bluebirds, lots of red-winged and Brewer’s blackbirds, and bald and golden eagles. Depending on the season, you may also spot migrating waxwings, goldfinches, evening grosbeaks, a variety of flycatchers, both ruby and golden-crowned kinglets, 4 or 5 varieties of swallows, and other species as well. Look or listen for owls if you are camping in Morefield or staying at the Far View Lodge. Mesa Verde is fortunate to have great horned, spotted, long-eared, pygmy, saw whet, and flammulated owls within its boundaries.

Wildlife viewing in Mesa Verde offers a greater diversity than the casual visitor might imagine. Almost everyone spots a mule deer somewhere along the road as they enter the park. The only time these deer are not visible is in the middle of winter when snow drives them south into the warmer valley areas. Since the reintroduction of wild turkeys in 1991, many visitors are delighted to see these turkeys along the park entrance road or in Morefield Campground. The campground is a good place to look for ground squirrels, skunks, or an occasional black bear. Early in the morning or dusk, you might see a coyote, gray fox, mountain lion, black bear, elk, marmot, or even a porcupine. Be on the lookout for trespass horses along the road to Wetherill. These horses have crossed the boundary from the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation and casually graze along the roads within the park. If you go to Spruce Tree House, you may see an Albert’s or Chickory Squirrel. The long ears, silver color, and bushy white tail of the Albert’s squirrel make it a favorite sighting.

Cross country skiing and snowshoeing can be done if the snowfall is heavy enough. It is a great way to see wildlife. Two park roads are designated for cross country skiing and snowshoeing when snow permits. Skiing or snowshoeing in the backcountry of Mesa Verde National Park or other park roads is not permitted. Cliff Palace Loop Road and Morefield Campground Loop Roads are the only places available to skiers and snowshoers. Cliff Palace Loop Road is a 6 mile loop, relatively flat, and no avalanche danger. Along the road are numerous overlooks with scenic views to other cliff dwellings as well as Cliff Palace which can make for a full-day adventure.

Mesa Verde National Park provides wonderful opportunities for stargazing. Since there are no large cities in the Four Corners region, there is very little artificial light to detract from the stars in the night sky. Most nights the skies are clear and full of stars. On a clear night, you can see the Milky Way. Montezuma or Mancos Overlooks are really the best areas in the park for stargazing. If you are staying outside of the park or want to get away from artificial lights, both of these overlooks along the Main Park Road provide views of the twinkling lights of the valley towns and the stars above. Unfortunately, these areas are not available for overnight camping.

Mesa Verde National Park has limitations in accessibility for people with vision, hearing or mobility impairments. Wheelchairs with wide rim wheels are recommended on trails. Visually impaired visitors will need an assistant to read exhibit labels since none of the exhibit displays have been transcribed into Braille. Morefield Campground and Picnic Areas have designated parking, restrooms, campsites (Navajo Loop Signed), telephone, paved walks and gravel trails. Far View Visitor Center has primary information and orientation facility, designated parking, ramps, restrooms, telephones, drinking fountains, and a wheelchair for loan. Food service, gift shop, and lodging are available and accessible spring through fall. The Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum and Park Headquarters has an information center, designated parking, restrooms, drinking fountains, telephones, first aid station, picnic area, bookstore, wheelchair for loan, and open-caption video about Mesa Verde for viewing. Food service and gifts are available and accessible. The Mesa Top Loop Road is the most accessible and is highly recommended. It is a chronological sequence of Ancestral Puebloan cultural development. It features excellent views of Square Tower House and Cliff Palace. Guide book, designated parking, restrooms, and paved trails are available and accessible. Drinking fountains are available in the summer.

For approximately one hundred years, fire suppression in the southwest has increased fuel loadings and density of vegetation in many areas. The likelihood of large destructive wildfires in Mesa Verde National Park is increasing due to increased fuel loadings and recent drought conditions, posing threats to the park’s infrastructure, cultural and natural resources, and human safety. Because of the increased threat of large wildfires, Mesa Verde has implemented several strategies to help protect the park’s resources and human life. In addition to basic suppression, the park has initiated programs for prescribed fire and hazard fuel reduction. Although the threat of fire still exists, Mesa Verde National Park is becoming increasingly prepared to defend itself because of these fire protection and prevention programs. In the last seven years, five large wildfires have occurred at Mesa Verde. A total of 28,340 acres – over 50 percent of the park – burned within park boundaries in these fires. Around developed areas on Chapin Mesa, the forest has been thinned to twenty foot crown spacing. Approximately 25 acres have been thinned in developed areas. In the future, these areas may be prescribed burned to further reduce fuels and provide greater fire protection.

The plants and animals, the natural resources, around our ancient cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park are precious. The Natural Resource technicians identify the plants and animals. Then they make special trails to cliff dwellings to help archaeologists avoid trampling or disturbing the natural resources. So far, the technicians have identified: 19 Plants, 46 Birds, 9 Reptiles, and 11 Mammals, all of Special Concern.

The Condition Assessment Project at Mesa Verde National Park began in 1996. The purpose of this program is to gather enhanced information concerning the condition of the nearly 600 alcove sites that are located in the backcountry of Mesa Verde National Park. Of primary concern are those sites that contain standing architecture. The focus of this work is on what factors may be threatening certain aspects of the site, such as room-blocks, rooms, and associated archeological features. Examples of threats include water hitting walls and eroding mortar from the joints, walls that are being undermined by moisture or rodents that result in the walls collapsing or structural problems such as cracks in the wall joints or eroding fill which causes walls to lean and topple. Since 1996, archeologists working on the Condition Assessment Project have documented 150 sites.

Many of the backcountry alcove sites have not been visited nor documented by archeologists since they were first recorded during park surveys in the 1930′s, 1950′s, and 1970′s. Many of these sites are very difficult to access and often require aides such as ladders and/or technical climbing gear and rappelling skills in order to enter them. As a result, there is very little current information regarding the condition of many of these backcountry alcove sites, nor do park personnel know what factors might be threatening original architecture and site features. In order to make more informed management decisions and plan treatment strategies for these sites, it is imperative to collect baseline condition data from which they can create a management database. Depending on what is found by the Condition Assessment Archeologists at these sites, recommendations could be made for any number of additional visits by specialists. For instance, if the site contains unique features or characteristics, more detailed information might be gathered by Architectural Documentation archeologists, plaster preservationists, rock art specialists, and/or tree-ring dating specialists. If the site is in need of stabilization treatments, the preservation crew will be called upon to perform such duties as reinforcing walls with additional mortar, or installing water diversion systems. Often, the only recommendation for some sites is to simply monitor their condition in the coming few years to determine if conditions are changing or new threats become present. If the site is determined to be in good condition, there may be no recommendations for additional work at the site in the near future. Whatever the determination, this most recent information is entered into an Access database which can be accessed by researchers and archeologists.

Spring temperatures are variable, 30s and snow or 70s and sunny. Summer temperatures can reach the 90s with afternoon thunderstorms in July and August. Fall is still warm during the day, but cool nights. There is a possibility of snow in October. Winter is below freezing temperatures at night. There can be as much as 3 to 4 feet of snow. Snow packed and icy conditions often occur.

Carry and drink plenty of water during your visit in the park. Please stay away from cliff edges because undercut overhangs are dangerous. Trails can be muddy and slippery after summer rains and winter snows, so proper footwear (hiking boots or sturdy tennis shoes) is recommended. Know your health before you visit the park and consider if you can tolerate the conditions that are involved in viewing the park. A trip into the dwelling of Cliff Palace is not recommended for people with cardiac or respiratory problems. Cliff Palace, like all of the cliff dwellings, is located at 7,000 feet of elevation and involves strenuous physical activity. Visitors with cardiac or respiratory conditions should be warned that all trails, except the Soda Canyon Trail, are strenuous, generally with steep elevation changes. Contact a park ranger if you have any questions. Trails may be closed in winter for visitor safety due to icy conditions.

Pets must be physically restrained at all times, are not allowed in public buildings or on trails and must be with someone at all times.

Please do not sit, climb or walk on fragile archaeological structures. It is illegal to remove any artifacts.

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Feeding, capturing, or teasing wildlife is prohibited and can be dangerous. Feeding these creatures is not only illegal; it is also harmful to their health. Use your binoculars and take pictures when you can, but keep your distance from animals such as mountain lion or bear. There are also Prairie Rattlesnakes in the park. See Wildlife Precautions page.

At night one of these animals might scurry across the road in front of your car so drive slowly and carefully. If you are fortunate enough to spot a rarely seen animal such as a mountain lion or bear, you are asked to fill out a wildlife sighting card to record your special sighting.

There is a park entrance fee for private vehicles of $10.00/7 days. There is also a ranger-guided tour fee of $2.75/person for Cliff Palace or Balcony House and Long House. Note that there are also free ranger-guided tours of other sites available.

Morefield Campground is $20 per campsite, per night + tax. Maximum of two vehicles, two tents. Reservations accepted. For RV’s it’s $25 per RV hook-up, per night + tax. There are a total of 15 RV hook-ups. (First come, first serve.) Group sites ($55 minimum) are available at $5 per night, per adult or child. Reservations accepted. 1-800-449-2288

Morefield Campground is open from May to October. Normally, the park campground is closed from the end of October until late April. Call the park for exact dates. It’s located just 4 miles inside Mesa Verde. Morefield’s campsites are situated on loop roads that extend through a high grassy canyon filled with Gambel Oak scrub, native flowers, deer, and wild turkeys. Many sites offer excellent shade. There are 435 sites, with RV campsites also, and the campground rarely fills. Each site has a table, bench, and grill. Camping is open to tents, trailers and RV camping. Morefield has a full-service village. There’s a gas station, café, RV dumping station, coin-operated laundry, complimentary showers, a gift shop and a well stocked grocery store.

Several of the Park’s best hikes leave from Morefield and climb to spectacular views of surrounding valleys and mountains. This is an especially good place for looking at stars since there is little artificial light. Join a Ranger at the Morefield Amphitheater for the nightly (Memorial Day through Labor Day) campfire program. Bring a flashlight for the walk back to your campsite. The campground is a good place to look for ground squirrels, skunks, or an occasional black bear. Make sure you put your food in bear-proof containers.

Natural Bridges National Monument is 138 miles away. Navajo National Monument is 176 miles away. Arches National Park is 129 miles away. Hovenweep National Monument is 46 miles away. Chaco Canyon National Historic Park is 141 miles away. Canyon De Chelley National Monument is 152 miles away. Canyonlands National Park is 157 miles away. Ute Mountain Indian Reservation, Navajo Indian Reservation, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, San Juan National Forest and Uncompahgre National Forest are all close by the park.

The nearest airports are Cortez, Colorado, Durango, Colorado, and Farmington, New Mexico.

The Mesa Verde Headquarters is a one-hour drive from Cortez, Colorado, heading east on Highway 160 to the park turnoff, and a 1.5 hour drive from Durango, Colorado, heading west on Highway 160 to the park turnoff.

The closest bus terminal is located in Durango, Colorado. Car rental is needed to get from the bus terminal to the park. The entrance to Mesa Verde is 35 miles from Durango.

A vehicle is needed to see Mesa Verde.

Approximate Mileage from the following major cities to Mesa Verde National Park:

By Car:

Moab, UT – 127.39 miles

Montrose, CO – 142.51 miles

Flagstaff,AZ – 278.21 miles

Farmington, NM – 69.50 miles

Cortex, CO – 12.93 miles

Durango, CO – 35.78 miles

Mesa Verde National Park, PO Box 8, Mesa Verde, CO 81330-0008
Headquarters 970-529-4465
Visitor Information 970-529-4465

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