Again, this was another park that for some reason I didn't realize was in Colorado. I was watching the Ken Burns National Park Series one evening and thought....hmm...haven't been to that one! I started to do some research on the park and realized that it fit in with this crazy little mini-vacation around the state of Colorado!
Planning Your Visit to Mesa Verde National Park
There are a few things you should know before planning your trip. Mesa Verde is located about 40 minutes west of Durango, Colorado. Durango is the closest city to the park. If you are making the trek from the Denver area you are looking at approximately a 7 hour drive. There are campsites in the park which are open from mid-May to mid-October and are first come, first served. If you prefer a hotel to camping (like me!) you will want to reserve a hotel in the Durango area.
The park has only one entrance and it and the main park road are open 24 hours all year. There is a Visitor's Center at the Park Entrance and Spruce Tree Terrace near the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum sells food, gifts and souvenirs year round.
The admission fee is $15.00/vehicle from Memorial Day to Labor Day and $10.00/vehicle the rest of the year. Again, if you are planning to visit several National Parks during the year, you may want to check out the National Park Annual Pass.
 |
| Beautiful Views from Pullouts |
It is also helpful to know that there are several areas to visit while you are in the park. Of these areas...there are two general locations: Chapin Mesa (road open year round) and Wetherill Mesa (open in summer only).
Chapin Mesa
 |
| Along the Way to Chapin Mesa |
 |
| Along the Way to Chapin Mesa |
This is the area that you will most likely want to visit. There are several locations within the Chapin Mesa area. These include, Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum, Spruce Tree House, Mesa Top Loop, Cliff Palace, Balcony House, Far View Sites and Petroglyph Point/Spruce Canyon. Of these Spruce Tree House is the best preserved cliff dwelling and allows for a self guided tour. Cliff Palace and Balcony House also are cliff dwellings areas but they require a ticket for a ranger guided tour. Both also require more climbing so be sure to check out the physical requirements before purchasing your tickets.
Wetherill Mesa
You must park your vehicle near the ranger station and walk or ride the tram to each of these sites. Long House, Step House, Badger House Community and Nordenskiold #16 Trail.
When You Arrive
 |
| Visitor's Center |
 |
| Visitor's Center |
 |
| View of the Mesa from the Visitor's Center |
 |
| Exhibits at the Visitor's Center |
 |
| Diorama at theVisitor's Center |
When you first arrive at the park, your first stop should be at the Visitor's Center. It's a great place to get oriented to the park. There is a bookstore, exhibits and rangers to answer any questions you may have. This is also the place to purchase tickets for the ranger guided tours of Cliff Palace and Balcony House. There are very nice restroom facilities at the Visitor's Center. You can also pick up a guide to Spruce Tree House for $1.00 donation. Since it is a self-guided tour I would recommend that you pick one up before you head up and you will be set to go.
Our Day at Mesa Verde
There are many ways to visit this park. We planned on spending about half a day and this itinerary helped us stay on schedule. If you plan to visit more of the dwelling areas or take the guided tours you will want to plan on an entire day or possibly more.
Visitor's Center
Our first stop was at the Visitor's Center. We checked out the exhibits inside, asked a few questions of the rangers, picked up a guide to Spruce Tree House and used the restrooms before heading on our way. This is also a great area to get some pictures of the entire Mesa before you head up. The road to the Chapin Mesa area is 21 miles and takes approximately 45 minutes. There are many beautiful sights to see on your way up, so be sure to figure in drive time!
Chapin Mesa
Once you arrive at the Chapin Mesa area, there is a large paved parking lot with plenty of space for vehicles. We parked near the Archeological Museum. There are restrooms located a short walk through the parking lot. The pathway down to Spruce Tree House begins next to the museum.
 |
| Spruce Tree House |
 |
| Spruce Tree House |
Spruce Tree House (Spring - Fall)
 |
| Spruce Tree House |
Our first stop in the Chapin Mesa Area was at Spruce Tree House. This is the cliff dwelling that has been the most well preserved. This is a self-guided tour so move at your own pace. There is an incline to get down to the cliff dwelling and as you know what goes down must go back up. The incline is moderate and there are benches along the way to rest. Remember you are at a higher elevation here than you are probably used to so physical exertion can feel even worse if you are not used to it! Make sure to take some water along with you. Having said that, most people should be able to do this walk down to the cliff dwelling and back up with minimal difficulty. If you can do it, you definitely should!
Spruce Tree House is one of 600 cliff dwellings within Mesa Verde National Park. Who knew there were that many?? The guide that we purchased at the visitor's center was very informative on the trek down. Once we got to the bottom of the hill and to the actual cliff dwelling, there were rangers there to answer any questions you may have.
 |
| Exploring the Kiva! |
There are many areas to explore here, you can walk up close to the dwellings themselves. Make sure you go down the short ladder into the kiva that has been restored. It's very interesting to see the kiva structure and the ladder is sturdy and easy to climb.
 |
| The trip back up |
We spent about half an hour in the cliff dwelling itself taking photos and asking questions of the rangers. Then it was time to start the trek back up the hill. As I said, just take your time, there is no rush!
 |
| Spruce Tree House |
Archeological Museum (Year Round)
Our next stop after the cliff dwelling was the Archeological Museum. I have to admit that we are not really museum people so we pretty much took a quick look and flew around this area. We were done in about 15 minutes. There are many exhibits to be seen here and lots of artifacts taken from the cliff dwellings themselves. If you are a person who likes to read the exhibits and take a look at everything, please figure at least an hour for your visit.
 |
| Spruce Tree Terrace |
Spruce Tree Terrace (Open Year Round except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day)
 |
| Spruce Tree Terrace |
Since it was getting to be lunch time and this is the only place to eat in the park, we decided to make a quick stop for lunch. There is a very nice gift shop here where you can purchase gifts/souvenirs. The cafe is attached to the gift shop and has indoor as well as outdoor seating. Our food was very good and was done quickly. There are also restrooms next door to the Cafe. I would recommend stopping at them before you continue your day.
 |
| The Path to Spruce Tree House |
Mesa Top Loop (Open Year Round)
 |
| Square Tower House |
 |
| Views from Mesa Top Loop Drive |
 |
| Views from Mesa Top Loop Drive |
After lunch, we headed on our way for a self guided auto tour of Mesa Top Loop. Stops along the six-mile road show the full range of architecture at Mesa Verde. You will see the earliest pithouses to the latest cliff dwellings. There are pull offs along the side of the roadway which are well marked. Each of the sites are a short walk from the parking areas.
 |
| Architecture along Mesa Top Loop Drive |
 |
| Architecture along Mesa Top Loop Drive |
The highlight of the driving tour is a stop called Sun Point View. If you do not want to stop at all of the pullouts....make sure you do stop at Sun Point View. There area a dozen cliff dwellings set into the alcoves that are visible from this area.
Other highlights were Square Tower House Overlook and the Sun Point Pueblo. It took approximately 1- 1 1/2 hours for the trip around Mesa Top. This allowed time to look at the various architecture and to take lots of photos.
Tip: Pick up a guide to Mesa Top Loop at the first stop. It costs 50 cents and is well worth it to know what you are looking at.
Final Thoughts
After taking a look around up on Chapin Mesa, the weather started to change a bit and the rains were starting. We headed back down to the Visitor's Center and then out of the park. This was a very interesting National Park and one that I would highly recommend visiting if you are in that area of Colorado. I think the reason it isn't a more visited park, is mainly because of it's location. There isn't a whole lot of other attractions nearby. Four Corners Monument is about an hour drive from the area and the City of Durango has lots to see but you really are kind of out in the middle of no where.
This Park certainly gives you a look at the past!
No comments:
Post a Comment