Mesa Verde
Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings tucked into canyon alcoves on a high, forested mesa
- Hours
- Open daily, all year
- Entry
- $30 per car
- Reservations
- Not required
- Size
- 52,485 acres
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Mesa Verde protects nearly 5,000 archeological sites, including about 600 cliff dwellings, built by Ancestral Pueblo people who lived here from about 550 to 1300 CE. Early families built pithouses on the mesa tops, then villages, and in the late 1100s and 1200s many moved into stone dwellings tucked into sandstone alcoves. Within a few generations they migrated south to what is now New Mexico and Arizona, where their descendants live today. It became a national park in 1906 and was among the first places named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.
Most visitors spend their time on Chapin Mesa, where the museum, Cliff Palace, Balcony House and the Mesa Top Loop are found. Ranger tours put you inside the dwellings, climbing the same kind of ladders and toeholds the residents used. The park road climbs from about 6,900 feet at the entrance to more than 8,000 feet, with views into four states on clear days. Mesa Verde was the first national park set aside to protect cultural sites rather than natural scenery.
The park and surrounding area
- Park boundary
- Other parks
- Major highway
- Road
- Rivers and lakes
- Town
Plan your trip
- Best time to go
- May, June and September through mid-October are best, when cliff dwelling tours run and days are mild.
- How long to stay
- One full day covers Chapin Mesa and one tour; two days lets you add Wetherill Mesa and a second tour.
- Getting there
- Cortez (CEZ) is about 15 minutes from the entrance and Durango (DRO) about 1 hour 15 minutes; Albuquerque (ABQ) is about 4.5 hours away.
- Wildlife
- Look for mule deer, wild turkeys, feral horses, coyotes, black bears, golden eagles and collared lizards.
Plan and book
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Where to stay
- Hotels in Cortez (opens in a new tab)Colorado
- Hotels in Mancos (opens in a new tab)Colorado
- Hotels in Durango (opens in a new tab)Colorado
- Lodges inside the park (opens in a new tab)Official NPS list
Tours and activities
- Guided tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)Day trips, wildlife, photography
- Tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Compare options and reviews
- Campsites on Recreation.gov (opens in a new tab)Official federal booking site
What to pack for Mesa Verde
- Sturdy closed-toe shoesTours climb ladders and stone steps, and Balcony House includes a crawl through a tunnel.
- Refillable water bottleThe air is dry at 7,000 to 8,000 feet, and services are spread far apart.
- Sun hat and sunscreenOverlooks and tour waits have little shade at high elevation.
- Light layered jacketMornings on the mesa are cool even in summer, and fall afternoons can turn chilly fast.
- BinocularsThey help you pick out distant cliff dwellings from the many overlooks.
A first day, start to finish
- Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center at the entrance
- Cliff Palace ranger tour
- Chapin Mesa museum and Spruce Tree House overlook
- Mesa Top Loop Road overlooks
- Sunset at Park Point or Far View
Don't miss
- Cliff PalaceThe largest cliff dwelling in North America, with about 150 rooms and 23 kivas, seen on a 45-minute ranger tour with four ladders and about 100 feet of elevation change.
- Balcony HouseA one-hour ranger tour that climbs a 32-foot ladder and squeezes through an 18-inch-wide tunnel, the park's most adventurous tour.
- Mesa Top Loop RoadA 6-mile drive past pithouses, early pueblo sites and overlooks such as Sun Point View and Square Tower House.
- Long House and Step HouseLong House is the largest dwelling on quieter Wetherill Mesa, reached on a 2.25-mile ranger-led hike, and Step House is a self-guided site nearby.
- Petroglyph Point TrailA 2.4-mile loop below the mesa rim from the Chapin Mesa museum area to one of the park's largest rock art panels.
Know before you go
Do
- Book cliff dwelling tour tickets on Recreation.gov exactly 14 days ahead, since they sell out.
- Allow at least 45 minutes to drive from the entrance to Chapin Mesa on the winding park road.
- Pay by card, because entrance stations do not accept cash.
Don't
- Sign up for Balcony House if you are uneasy with tall ladders or tight tunnels.
- Touch, climb on or lean against the ancient walls.
- Plan on visiting Spruce Tree House up close; it has been closed since 2015 for rockfall danger and can only be seen from an overlook.
The park is open every day, year-round, though most tours and services run from spring through fall. The Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center at the entrance is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Chapin Mesa museum is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through October 21, 2026, then 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through December 31; both close on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Wetherill Mesa is open May 22 to October 21, 2026 (last entry 2 p.m., out by 4 p.m.), and ranger-guided cliff dwelling tours end for the season on October 21.
If tour tickets are gone, check Recreation.gov again two hours before tour times, when cancellations are released.Trekker's tip