General information about the National Park
Mesa Verde (Green Table Mountain) is a 1969ft high, heavily forested and rugged table mountain. The attraction are hundreds of Cliff Dwellings. For this reason, Mesa Verde National Park is also the only national park to protect an archaeological site. Since 1978, Mesa Verde National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Unfortunately, we can not contribute too much to the Mesa Verde NP, because so far we had only time for two short visits. Of course, you can not explore too much during those brief visits. Our visit in 1994 is already so far away that not only the memories have faded since then, also the restrictions to visit the Cliff Dwellings have changed. For example, there are only a few dwellings that you can still explore on your own. Most of the houses can only be visited by guided ranger tours.
Number of visitors
In 2023, Mesa Verde NP ranked 41st in the visitor statistics for the most visited national parks.
Best time to visit: Between April and October. During the summer it can be very hot.
Our visits:
So far 2 visits: August 1994, October 2011
Entrance fees and opening hours
- May - October 30$/car valid for 7 days - otherwise 15$
- Covered by the Anual Pass*
- Open 24h all year round. In winter, some roads may be closed.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
Spruce Tree House
Description: The Spruce Tree House is the third largest Cliff Dwelling in the park. It was built between 1211 and 1278 by the ancestors of the Pueblo people. It consists of 130 rooms and 8 kivas that housed between 60 and 80 people.
The Spruce Tree House is located directly below the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum and can be explored independently via a trail.
Note: Due to a rockfall, the Spruce Tree House and the associated trail are closed until further notice (as of January 2022). But you can see the house from a viewpoint, at the museum. Closing info.
Our rating: We especially liked that you could look at this house without a ranger tour. For short visits, this has the advantage that you can see a house up close without having to wait for a tour. We had rangers on site who answered questions and told a few things worth knowing about the house. If you don't mind a little hike up and down, we can definitely recommend this short trail.
Mesa Top Loop
Description: The Mesa Top Loop is 6.2mi long and is located at the top of Chopin Mesa. If you drive the entire loop you will pass numerous viewpoints from which you can see a few of the Cliff Dwellings from a distance. There are also a few foundation walls of pueblos.
Our rating: This drive is recommended for a short visit, because in a short time you get a small overview of the park´s features. You can see all the Cliff Dwellings only from a distance, but we found that to be very impressive.