Mesa Verde, Spanish for "green table", offers an opportunity to see and experience a cultural reflecting more than 700 years of history. From approximately A.D. 600 through A.D. 1300 people lived and flourished in communities throughout the area, eventually building elaborate stone villages in the sheltered alcoves of the canyon walls. The archeological sites found in Mesa Verde are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. To fully enjoy Mesa Verde National Park, plan to spend a day or two exploring its world-class archeological sites as well as its beautiful landscape. The entrance to the park is 9 miles east of Cortez and 35 miles west of Durango in Southwestern Colorado on US Highway 160.
At left, entrance to the Mesa.
Four miles past the park entrance is Morefield Campground. With more than 450 tent sites ($10/night) and 85 RV sites ($17) there is plenty of capacity. We had no trouble - the campground was about 90 percent unoccupied (the reason we chose post-September). There is not very much shade. This is the high desert - plan accordingly.
You should start your day at the Far View Visitor Center. The drive from the entrance to the Visitor Center has 15 miles of switchbacks revealing vistas of the surrounding areas. You must purchase tickets for the ranger-led tours at the center.
Spruce Tree House is the best preserved cliff dwelling in the park. A .5-mile-long self-guided trail leads to Spruce.
Spruce Tree House is thought to have been home to 100 people, with 114 rooms and eight kivas.
This is the only kiva in the park where visitors may enter via a short ladder. Kivas were religious structures and should be respected.
At the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum, the history of Native American life in the area is traced through dioramas, craft displays, photographs, and even stuffed animals.
Some of the most interesting surface sites are at the Far View site. Starting at the beginning of the trail is Far View House itself.
The view from Park Point affords unobstructed 360-degree views.
Park Point.
Fire is common in Mesa Verde. The Park Point fire lookout receives more lightning strikes than anywhere else except one location in Florida. Park Point Fire Lookout point has the highest elevation, 8,752 feet, within the park. Parts of Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico are visible.
