Mesa Verde National Park is the home of enormous and well-preserved cliff dwellings. They are incredible to view from afar and even more exciting to go on a ranger-led tour through the cliff dwellings themselves. We opted for the Balcony House Ranger-led tour, but I would go back in a heartbeat to do the Cliff Palace or Long House tour. Although you can see the places from overlooks, it is nothing like climbing the ladders or walking through the historical sites. Every bit of it is exciting and delightful – just don’t forget sunscreen and water!
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What and where are the Cliff Dwellings?
From about 550 to 1300 C.E., ancestral Pueblo peoples lived at Mesa Verde. Located on the Colorado plateau in the southwest corner of Colorado, Mesa Verde is at an elevation of 7,000 – 8,000 feet and overlooks the Montezuma valley. Only from about 1200 to 1300 C.E. did the Pueblo peoples begin utilizing the undersides of cliffs for homes and storage. Though there are still many ancient cultural relics on top of the mesa, the protection from weather has preserved the cliff dwellings spectacularly. To access the cliff dwellings, you must go on a ranger-led tour.
There are three cliff dwellings that require a Ranger-led tour: Cliff Palace, Balcony House, and Long House. You can explore Step House on your own and view Spruce House from afar (closed due a potential rock fall). These are the largest cliff dwellings, but there are over 600 cultural sites within the National park, most of which are on a much smaller scale. When you go to get your ticket, they will help you decide which tour to go on based on your time available, ticket availability, physical fitness, and excitement. It will take about an hour to get from the entrance of the park to the cliff dwelling tour starting spots.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, would definitely go back
- Intensity: Hiking wear
- Location: Southwest corner of Colorado
- Cost: $25.00 per private car in the spring and summer, $15.00 in the winter, $5.00 per person for a tour ticket
- Restrooms: At the entrance and main sights throughout the park
- Timing: 3+ hours
Highlights:
- Explore cliff dwellings
- Climb ladders and squeeze through hallways, like the native people did
- Beautiful views of the valley and surrounding area
Balcony House Tour
Based on the tickets available and our time, we opted for the Balcony House tour. The Balcony House tour is a bit more strenuous than the other tours and involves climbing large ladders, squeezing through narrow openings, and being on the edge of a cliff. We were so excited! Our group felt very large to be doing such things, but everyone was very respectful and prepared. Our Ranger gave us a rules talk before we began and took our tickets. At the bottom of a series of stairs, she gave us an overview of how the Pueblo people lived and used the cliff dwellings.
We had 10 or 15 minutes of overview, then we climbed the first ladder into the first room. It is amazing how quickly you feel like you are on the edge of a cliff. For the Pueblo people that lived here, that was a way of life and not something to be fearful of. The Balcony House was surprisingly cool in the shade of the cliff. There are a couple different rooms, which the Ranger let us know each of their purposes.
After a quick discussion, we went through a narrow hallway at the back of the cave to reach the next room over. The dwelling felt very solid and sturdy, especially for being over 700 years old. We discussed what the dwelling would have looked like and how this area was not particularly good or bad compared to the dwellings on top of the Mesa. After a few people asked questions, we were free to roam about for a couple minutes before heading toward the exit. To get back to the starting point, you go through a very narrow and short area that required crawling, then a tall ladder and steep steps carved into the rock. It was a great tour with a Ranger who was engaging and mindful of safety.
Pack this for Mesa Verde
Getting a Spot on a Tour
To get a ticket for the tour, you must stop by one of three locations in advance: the Visitor and Research Center at the Entrance, the Chapin Mesa Museum, or Durango Welcome Center. Be sure to check the hours of each of these locations before stopping by. We were staying near Durango, so we stopped by the day before our and had a limited selection to choose from. You can purchase tickets up to two days in advance. The woman working at the Durango Welcome Center had boundless energy and walked each group through the different options. She was great and got us excited for our tour. The Durango Welcome Center also had information for all kinds of different tours, so if we had more time in the area, we would have looked around a bit more.
Other Things to Do at Mesa Verde
Beyond the Ranger-led tours, you can discover some of the ancient cultural sites on your own. Such as:
- Visitor and Research Center’s interactive exhibits
- The Chapin Museum
- Take a look at the overviews of Cliff Palace and Spruce House
- Hike the Far View Sites Complex
Getting There
We drove to Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings using googlemaps. The park entrance is along Highway 160 between the towns of Mancos and Cortez, Colorado and about 35 miles west of Durango, Colorado. It was a little over half an hour to get the entrance and then another 45 minutes to an hour to get to the Cliff Dwellings. For detailed directions, you can take a look on the National Park Service website.
Overall Thoughts: Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings
It is easy to see why the area is a National Park. The cliff dwellings were an absolute feat and truly incredible to explore – a marker of human ingenuity and determination to thrive in a harsh environment. I also love the the National Park service has gone to such lengths to protect the ancient Pueblo peoples artifacts for all to see. Get the ticket and go on a ranger-led tour of the cliff dwellings for the full experience, I don’t think you’ll regret it!
Are there other cliff dwellings that you think I should visit? Let me know if there are any that I should add to my list of places to go and things to see.
Happy Travels,
Hanna
