The Essential Guide to Mesa Verde National Park

In the South -West Colorado, where the Rocky Mountains give way to the valley and the mess, is one of the most intimate places you can associate with ancient history in the United States.

In Mesa Varde National Park, you will find wide villages tuned under the Sandstone overhang. These rock housing were built by ancestral publo people and lagged behind over 700 years. Historical structures provide a rare glimpse in a civilization that form complex homes, formal kivas and irrigation systems.

“Messa Varde is unique as it is a national park telling people’s story on landscape. Even though all national parks have human stories, ancestral publo people, ancestral sites that they have created, and the park connections for modern publos and tribes are important here,” Delton Dorl, Messa Verde’s explanation and a park range on the VERDITIs.

These houses are the best protected in the world and are the identity of Messa Varde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its rare mixture of cultural heritage and natural beauty, the Messa Varde list does not have just one stop or another national park – it is a journey in the deep history of the American South -West.

Planning your journey

Messa Varde National Park is open throughout the year. No reservation is required to enter the park, and the entry pass during low weather is $ 20 per vehicle (23 October -April 30) and $ 30 (1 May -October 22 22) during high season. Passes are good for seven days.

If you want to walk inside one of the famous rock houses of the park, then you have to book a tour until 14 days ago. Cliff Dweling Tours run from May to October ending in winter. The park is still open in cold months, but many features including lodges, campground and most food options are closed.

It is worth noting that all the historical sites and rocks of the park are at least 45 minutes from the car entrance (in a way) from the park entrance at Highway 160. Mesa Varde Country’s Tourism Director and CEO Brian Bartlett recommends passengers to “having almost no fuel to buy in the park” gas up. “The park is also completely cacheless, so bring a card.

And finally, Mesa Varde National Park is the most different because it has a lot of human history. The ancestral site is extremely important for 26 affiliated tribes of the park and also very delicate. “Two easy ways you can see with respect is not to touch or sit on the walls of the ancestral site and to release any artifacts where you find it,” said Dorel.

how to get there

The park is between Corteze and Colorado cities of Mazcos near the area of ​​four corners, where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado are found. This UTE mountain shares some land with the UTE tribe reservation.

The Cortege Municipal Airport (CEZ), the nearest airport to Messa Varde National Park, is about 36 miles, Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO), about 70 miles away, and Four Corner Regional Airport (FMN) in Farmington, New Mexico. If you are flying, you will need to rent a car, as there is no way to go to the park or around by public transport.

This is a 45 -minute drive from the park entrance of Highway 160 for the first view of a rock residence.

The best time to travel

The best time to visit Mesa Varde National Park is late spring and early decline, when Cliff’s residences are still open, but the summer summary journey has not started yet. Popular, Ranger -led Cliff Dweling Tour begins in May and ends until the end of October.

“I really enjoy September and October in the park,” said Darel. “It’s cooler, some parts of the park are still getting tourism, and some days are slow. If you travel during that time, be sure to check the weather. Some years we can start getting snow quickly.”

However, one of the reasons is that there is a popular time to travel in summer: the weather around this time of the year is more reliable, and the park is usually completely open. In addition, summer wildflower and wildlife are likely to appear, including bears and bobcat.

Winter, either there is not a bad time to travel, and you can see sites covered in snow to sites such as the Spruce Tree House, or you can also cross-create ski or snowflies to the winter trails of the park. However, keep in mind that many of the park’s facilities are closed in the cold months. In addition to its National Park website, you can follow Messa Varde’s Facebook page, where delayed openings and temporary parks are posted.

The best things to do

Cliff Palace

Cliff Palace was once home to over 100 people and is the largest known Cliff residence in North America. It is believed that it is built between 1190 and 1280 CE and has 23 kiva, or formal rooms.

You can see Cliff Palace from Cliff Palace to Cliff Palace Loop Road, but if you want to step inside this huge structure, you have to book a ranger-directed tour. Tourism is limited to 50 people and takes 45 minutes.

Balcony house

If you are physically fit and enjoy a challenge of a challenge, reserve a tour of the balcony house, where Dorel said that visitors should “climb a 32-foot ladder, climb two small stairs, and crawl through a 12-foot tunnel.” But the effort is all worth it. This route leads to a middle -sized village of 38 rooms installed inside a rock alkov.

Like the Cliff Palace, the balcony house can be seen from the six -mile long Cliff Palace Loop Road. Those who want to set foot in the village have to book a directed tour.

Mesa top loop road

Bartlett recommended that for the first time visitors run six-meal Mesa Top Loop Road, which gives a good observation of the park. The loop is open throughout the year and provides access to 12 archaeological sites, including publos and pit houses. You will also see the stunning views of Square Tower House, Cliff Palace and Sun Temple. Messa Top Loop Road is open daily from 8:00 am to sunset.

Step house

Only rock housing you can go without a ranger or reservation, Vedril is a step on Mesa. Seeing this, you get a part of Mesa Varde National Park which very few people get to see.

“This year, Vedrol Messa Road will remain open, allowing people to use and find other 50 percent of the park,” Bartlett said.

A trip to the step house usually takes three to four hours, and the site requires an increase on one-meal, steep footpath. There is usually a ranger on-site to answer questions.

Stargezing

While most people come to the park to see how early humans lived, the park becomes a Stargaging destination at night. Due to its high altitude, dry climate, and distance from the nearest community, the sky above Mesa Varde is clear and their black -kali -kali position. Mesa Varde National Park became the world’s 100th International Dark Sky Park in 2021.

Booking a campsite at Morfield Campground (May) is a great way to look at the night sky. And in late summer, the park runs the evening Stargaging program.

where to stay

Morefield campground

Morfield Park has the only campground and is open from May to October. But if you give a travel time the right time, you can enjoy a night in one of the 267 camps that dott the grass valley near the entrance of the park. Each site has a picnic table, fire pit and barbecue grille. RV and trailers are allowed. Along with a camp store, there is also shower and laundry.

Remote view lodge

The only traditional housing within the park is in the View Lodge, which usually opens from April to October. Lodge is in the center of the park about 30 minutes from the entrance of the park. The rooms of the remote view lodge have private balconies, Wi-Fi and free guest parking. Pets are allowed, and ADAs are accessible rooms. The property also has a lounge and bar, and a dining room.

Messa Varde Motal

One of the neighboring cities of Mesa Varde Motal Park is in Manekos. Motal only provides basics, but it is modern and clean with a hip American feel. The property has a community fire pit and an onsite coffee shop and cocktail lounge. Bartlett describes the motal “not to be remembered.”

Retro in

In the cortage, this little gem describes herself as “slightly different from the ideal” – and it is easy to see why. Retro Inn is a host of eccentricly decorated rooms-which includes hippie-lamp woodstock suite-and a series of interesting features including lawn bowling, nostalgic board games and old school video games. As an additional bonus, there is an outdoor theater with swings and a fire pit.

Where to eat

Metate Room and Remote View Lounge

For in-park fine dining, the head of the metate room at the remote view lodge. The menu highlights regional heritage foods including wild sports, local yield and fresh fish. Above the lodge, the distant view is spread up to hundreds of miles in a scene named Lounge and is a great place to get a pre-dinner drink.

“While eating in an incredible metate room in the park, enjoy a cocktail in a distant view lounge, and enjoy our incredible dark sky,” Bartlett said.

Lounjin ‘lizard

Another favorite cortez of Bartlet is the lizard of the loungein, which is located on the main street. The restaurants and bars are set in a hip, contemporary location and serve unique fare such as Elk Shepherd’s pie, Pork belly tacos and spicy barbecue chicken pizza.

Bothhouse on grand

In Mancos, there is a place to have a boothhouse on the grand. It is run by local people Jane and Dave Stewart and has a seasonal menu that changes throughout the week. He is also known for his menu of Spanish series and Vermouth, which is served by glass.