Month: June 2025

Look all around you. Then close your eyes. Think about these mesas and canyons as a bustling community. Think about seeing women cooking, men hunting, kids playing, dogs barking, grandmas holding babies. You can smell the smoke from the cooking fires. You can hear the regular noise of daily life echoing out of these alcoves that are natural amphitheaters.

When seeing the cliff dwellings built by the ancient Pueblo people for the first time, words can be superfluous. The sandstone-masonry villages tucked into massive mesa-side alcoves leave first time viewers with concurrent feelings of incredulity (How is this even possible?) and discovery—as if they found a long-lost city all by themselves. In truth, they have come upon a treasure: Mesa Verde National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, one of the first such designations for conserving places of outstanding cultural and natural value in the country.

It is, in fact, the cultural aspect of Mesa Verde that makes it unique among America’s national parks. Here, parkgoers must stay on designated trails, backcountry access and primitive camping are unavailable, and seeing many of the archaeological sites up close requires purchasing a ticket for a guided tour.

What to know before you visit Mesa Verde National Park

The park is home to thousands of archaeological sites and cliff dwellings from the Ancestral Pueblo people

Mesa Verde National Park offers a unique opportunity to explore the rich history and culture of the Ancestral Pueblo people through their well-preserved cliff dwellings and mesa-top archaeological sites. Here’s what you should know before you visit:

Get it right

Following guidelines helps preserve Mesa Verde’s invaluable cultural and natural heritage for future visitors

All parks have rules. But at a cultural park, knowing the unwritten do’s and don’ts can both save you from being tactless and make your visit much more enjoyable.

Must do’s

Take a guided cliff dwelling tour

Options for buying drinks and snacks inside the park are limited. Bring a cooler full of provisions that you can leave in your car and enjoy after tours and hikes.

Visitors are often surprised about the driving distances within Mesa Verde. From US Route 160, the highway just outside the park, you should allow an hour (no joke) to get to any of the archaeological sites at the far ends of Chapin or Wetherill mesas. Add at least 30 minutes to that if you want to stop at the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center that’s located just off the highway exit near the Mesa Verde National Park sign.

The roads inside the park are narrow and winding but if you are a particularly slow driver—or you’re just taking in the views—pull over to let others pass.

Take every opportunity you see to use a restroom even if nature isn’t calling at that exact moment. Not every trailhead or every tour meeting place has facilities.

Must don’ts

Do not remove or disturb any natural or archaeological objects

Although you may have heard or read the term “Anasazi” as a way to refer to the Ancestral Pueblo people who inhabited Mesa Verde, the term—a Navajo word that can translate to “ancient enemy”—is outdated and considered pejorative by modern-day Pueblo people. “Ancestral Puebloans” and “Ancestral Pueblo people” are more culturally sensitive and appropriate terms.

If you look closely, you might find the remnants of Ancestral Puebloan life in the dirt. Potsherds, stone knives, bone awls, and other artifacts could show up at your feet. Should that happen, feel free to pick them up and take a look but don’t remove them from the park. Collecting artifacts on federal land is a crime—not to mention a wildly insensitive move.

Trails in the national park are well-maintained and easy to follow; however, don’t let your size 12s scoot off the path especially if you see small pink flags which are there to alert you to the presence of fragile, rare, or even endangered flora like the Chapin Mesa milkvetch, a butter yellow plant that only grows in the Mesa Verde area.

Map out your visit

Understanding the layout will help you make the most of your time

With only one road in and out, Mesa Verde is easy to navigate—but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan your route ahead of time.

To see ancient mesa-top village foundations, centuries-old farming sites, and the famed cliff dwellings, parkgoers must travel the Main Park Road roughly 15 miles from the entrance before making a decision about which mesa—Chapin or Wetherill—to visit. Most parkgoers select Chapin Mesa, home of Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in the park. Wetherill has the second-largest dwelling in the park.

Visitors’ decisions usually come down to time: From the intersection of Main Park Road and Wetherill Mesa Road, it’s a 45-minute haul to reach the sites on Wetherill and a 20-minute drive to those on Chapin making it difficult to view everything in one day.

Wetherill Mesa

A remote and less crowded section of Mesa Verde 

Both Wetherill and Chapin mesas are named after explorers who happened upon—and excavated—many of the dwellings in the late 1880s. The 12-mile journey to the far side of Wetherill is winding and starkly beautiful. At the end of the road visitors will find several options for self-guided discovery.

The one-mile walkway to Step House delivers visitors to the only cliff dwelling reachable without a tour ticket. The Long House Loop is a five-mile paved trail that makes for a leisurely 45-minute bike ride if you brought your two-wheeler.

If not, parkgoers can walk the path which provides access to the Badger House Community (sites that show the evolution of Pueblo homes from pit houses to small villages), the Nordenskiöld Site #16 (a cliff dwelling named for another early excavator), Kodak House (a split-level dwelling), and the overlook for Long House, the second-largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde. Daily tours to Long House run through October 23.

Chapin Mesa

Home to the largest concentration of Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites

Open year-round and home to two drivable loops with myriad pullouts and overlooks, Chapin is the indisputable winner when it comes to density of Ancestral Puebloan structures. The one-way Mesa Top Loop lets drivers of modern-day vehicles roll through 700 years of Ancestral Puebloan culture and architectural development in about 90 minutes if they don’t dawdle at each of the nine stops.

Be forewarned, though: It’ll be a challenge to pull your group away from Square Tower House Overlook which affords a view of the tallest standing structure in the park; Sun Point View, a vantage that makes visible several cliff dwellings simultaneously; and Cliff Palace View, a photographer’s-dream-come-true look at the park’s most high-profile attraction.

History of the Pueblo People at Mesa Verde

The evolution of the Pueblo people from early pit houses to complex cliff dwellings

The Four Corners region has been home to humans for 10,000-plus years; however, the Ancestral Pueblo people first settled in Mesa Verde around 1,400 years ago. For more than seven centuries they thrived as hunters and dryland farmers, crafted baskets and pottery, and built several styles of living quarters eventually constructing their remarkable cliff dwellings. Then they departed, leaving archaeologists and the world to ponder: Why?

550 A.D.

First signs of permanent habitation appeared in the Mesa Verde region

Former nomadic groups of people began settling into a more sedentary way of life in the Mesa Verde region. Farming—primarily of corn—supplanted hunting and gathering as the main food source and the bow and arrow replaced the spear. They made superbly crafted, beautifully woven waterproof baskets (frequently made of split willow) as well as pottery that often had simple designs on gray backgrounds. People lived in pit houses—semi-below-ground dwellings with vaulted roofs—typically located on the mesa tops near their crops but sometimes in cliff alcoves.

750 A.D.

Grouped their homes into compact villages

The community prospered—and its population swelled. On mesa tops, they began erecting single-story, above-ground houses with upright walls made using poles and mud. The homes were constructed up against one another creating long rows of dwellings; sometimes pit houses were built in front. The descendants of those who lived at Mesa Verde later become known as the Pueblo people using the Spanish word for “village.”

1000 A.D.

Began constructing and inhabiting elaborate stone cliff dwellings in sheltered canyon alcoves

The Pueblo people’s construction techniques and architectural prowess matured allowing them to upgrade from pole-and-adobe homes to multistory structures made of stone masonry. Units of 50 rooms or more were not uncommon. They began using small stone dams to capture water and manage runoff; these structures created fertile plots to grow not only corn but also squash and beans, a trifecta of crops known in many Native American tribes as “the three sisters.”

Their pottery-making also evolved to include highly decorative vessels with black designs on white backgrounds. Entire mesa tops are cleared to make room for agriculture. Large pueblos with stone walls and kivas—subterranean ceremonial and gathering spaces that may have evolved from pit houses—spread on the mesa top. Mesa Verde’s population soared with some estimates suggesting it ultimately reaches several thousand at its peak.

1200 A.D.

Built extensive complexes of pueblos, including over 600 cliff dwellings 

Perhaps for protection or proximity to water sources, some Ancestral Pueblo people began moving from their mesa-top villages into alcoves in the mesas’ cliffs. Using the same stone tools—often made of hard quartzite—they’d used for generations, the Pueblo people rigorously shaped sandstone into rectangular blocks and used a mixture of soil and water as mortar.

In the alcoves, they created elaborate multifamily villages, each dwelling having several rooms, some of which were for storing crops. Each family (or clan of families) had its own underground kiva with its flat roof serving as a courtyard of sorts. The largest cliff dwellings had as many as 150 rooms.

1285–1300 A.D.

By approximately 1300 A.D., the Ancestral Puebloans had largely migrated from Mesa Verde

The Ancestral Puebloans emigrate from Mesa Verde. By 1300, the alcoves were mostly deserted. Archaeologists, historians, and some modern-day Pueblo people have theorized that drought, depleted resources, or skirmishes with other ancient peoples may have spurred the abandonment of the cliff dwellings.

Best hike: Petroglyph Point Trail

A rich blend of cultural heritage and natural beauty

Petroglyph Point Trail is the park’s most popular trek—for good reason.

While there are other paths worthy of your time—namely Prater Ridge and Spruce Canyon trails—Petroglyph Point Trail underpromises and overdelivers. Yes, you will encounter other hikers on this 2.4-mile loop that begins near the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum but the company doesn’t diminish the joy of squeezing through sandstone formations, scrambling over boulders, viewing a 35-foot-wide petroglyph panel, and reveling in dizzying vistas of Spruce and Navajo canyons.

Although the park rates the trail as moderately strenuous to strenuous, anyone who regularly hikes in Colorado likely will find the route easy enough to complete in roughly two hours. But there’s no rush. As you amble, take time to ponder the fact that much of this well-worn footpath has been used for more than 1,000 years.

Cliff Palace

The largest and most famous cliff dwelling

The Cliff Palace Overlook is the first stop on the 6-mile Cliff Palace Loop Road. Recent studies reveal that Cliff Palace contained 150 rooms and 23 kivas and housed a population of approximately 100 people. Out of over 600 cliff dwellings within the boundaries of the park, 75 percent contain only 1-5 rooms each and many are single room storage units.

If you visit the Cliff Palace overlook you will view an exceptionally large dwelling which may have had special significance to the original occupants. It is thought that Cliff Palace was a social and administrative site with high ceremonial usage.

It’s one thing to see Cliff Palace, the park’s largest and arguably most spectacular residence from the overlooks on Mesa Top Loop. It’s another thing completely to be inside it—to experience the visceral sensations of the alcove, to climb ladders like the ancient ones once climbed, and to see the views they saw from their front porches.

To enter all cliff dwellings you must have a reservation on a ranger-led tour with the exception of Step House on Wetherill Mesa. The 2025 tour season runs from May 4th through October 19th with Wetherill Mesa opening May 23rd.

Tour reservations are made only on recreation.gov or by calling the toll free number 1-877-444-6777. Reservations are available 14 days in advance, beginning at 8:00 am MDT and fill up early. However, if somone cancels their reservation these tickets become available and can be purchased only at recreation.gov up to two hours before a tour. Reserving a tour is much easier if you create a recreation.gov account in advance. Go to recreation.gov and select the “Sign Up/Log In” tab in the upper right corner.

Roof blackening

Even centuries later, smoke stains from cook fires are still evident on the ceilings of some of the alcoves. Archaeologists have discovered that in addition to corn, beans, and squash, the ancient Pueblo people domesticated and likely ate turkeys.

Doors

What most parkgoers see as windows are really doors. Archaeologists have noted that in several instances, large stone slabs were used to seal the doors and that in other spots the Ancestral Puebloans hung yucca fiber mats over the openings for privacy or to keep cold air out.

Second-story supports

It’s sometimes difficult to understand the full scope of these dwellings because time and the elements have eroded much of what was once there. In many cases, the second stories of these complexes have disintegrated; however, archaeologists know upper levels existed because of the timber beam supports that are (remarkably) still visible today.

Multiroom dwellings

Ancestral Puebloan families often shared several rooms and had their own kiva. Cliff Palace may have housed as many as 150 people.

Desert varnish

These dark stains form when iron or manganese, a mineral found either within the rock or in windblown dust, is fixed to the cliff face by bacteria. The bacterial action often occurs on the portions of rock that are wet from runoff water which causes the streaking effect.

Ladders

To scale the area’s cliffs and move around within their alcove villages, the Ancestral Puebloans used ladders much like the ones park officials have fashioned for visitors to use today. Not only did excavators find remnants of these wooden staircases but archaeologists have also documented notches in the sandstone where the implements likely rested over the centuries.

Kiva

A kiva is a circular room often partially below ground that had a flat roof. It was typically outfitted with a hearth, ventilator shaft, benches, and a sipapu—a symbolic representation of the portal through which the ancestors emerged into this world. Kivas were likely used for domestic and ceremonial purposes and as gathering places. Often, the interior walls were covered with plaster and emblazoned with pictographs.

Ancestral Puebloan pottery

The ancient Pueblo people left behind many artifacts of daily living but none so striking, perhaps, as their black-on-white pottery

The Ancestral Pueblo people made different types of pottery. Their corrugated vessels—kinda like their everyday pots and pans for cooking—were made out of tiny clay coils, were often dark gray without embellishment, and had a dimpled appearance.

The Ancestral Puebloans, however, also made smoother, more artistic black-on-white pottery that appears to have been used for serving or to carry and store water. The intricate designs—beautiful in their execution using yucca fiber paintbrushes—typically included rectangular geometrical shapes, various triangles, dots, crosses, swirls, curved parallel lines, and terraced figures.

Related stories

• Mesa Verde National Park: Top 10 Things to See and Do
• The Complete Guide to Mesa Verde National Park
• Mesa Verde: A Home in the Cliffs
• The Ultimate Guide to Mesa Verde National Park

Stargazing at Mesa Verde

An exceptional destination for stargazing

Mesa Verde’s designation as an International Dark Sky Park only reinforces what the Ancestral Puebloans knew 1,000 years ago: Observation of celestial bodies is a sacred affair.

As of 2016, the vast majority of Americans could not see the Milky Way from their homes and fewer than one percent had reliable views of a dark sky. At Mesa Verde you can see the Milky Way every night, just like the Ancestral Puebloans did when they lived here.

The pullouts along Main Park Road and the parking lots near the Far View Lodge are ideal for nighttime viewing—but knowing how the ancient Pueblo people saw the heavens may be equally mesmerizing. Several archaeoastronomical studies have suggested that there could be dozens of astronomical alignments in the park. In other words, the Ancestral Puebloans may have built structures for detailed observation of the sky.

Star power

The park’s campground is a sky-watcher’s paradise

Set down in a canyon between two 400-foot swells of rock, Morefield Campground is the only place to set up a tent—or hook up an RV—inside the park. As campgrounds go, Morefield is clean and easy to navigate and has a full-service village with a gas station, showers, a cafe, and
a camp store that’s well-stocked with adult beverages. The sites are outfitted with tables, tent pads, fire pits, and dark skies. For the best stargazing—and quietest camping—select a site in the Taos, Zuni, or Jemez loops.

Where to stay outside the park

Cortez is located 10 miles west of the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park.

In town, there are hotels and RV parks to choose from as well as a good selection of restaurants.

• Cortez RV Resort: The pull-through and back-in RV sites fit smaller vehicles such as sprinter vans, tear drops, and pop-up campers all the way up to 75-foot long luxury RVs. Enjoy 30-amp and 50-amp outputs, water and electricity, and full hookup sites.
• La Mesa RV Park: La Mesa is small RV Park with less than 40 sites offering large pull-through sites for big rigs with 50 amp service throughout the park. Open year round. The park is close to downtown Cortez, less than 10 miles from Mesa Verde National Park, and convinient to the Four Corners Monument, Canyon of the Ancients, and Hovenweep National Monument. 
• Sundance RV Park: Sundance RV Park features 63 spacious, level sites, long pull-throughs, ample shade, and accommodations for large RVs and slide-outs. All sites have full hookups with 50/30/20 amp service.

Plan your visit

• Cost: $30 May 1 to October 31; $20 November 1 to April 30. This is the cost per vehicle and your entrance ticket is valid for 7 days. Guided tours have an additional fee.
• Hours: The Park is always open but some viewpoints and scenic drives have limited hours.

Worth Pondering…

The falling snowflakes sprinkling the piñons gave it a special kind of solemnity. It was more like sculpture than anything else … preserved … like a fly in amber.

—Novelist Willa Cather, describing the rediscovery of Cliff Palace