Mesa Verde was a much different experience for us than any other national park we’ve visited. This is the only national park that is dedicated to preserve human history. Ancestral Puebloans lived on the mesa tops and alongside the cliffs for 700 years, and then mysteriously left. The park rangers do an amazing job sharing the history of the park, and theories surrounding the innovative people who lived here. The experience left us with an incredible respect for the Puebloans, but it was a little eerie due to the awareness of the hardships they endured.
We had an amazing experience at Mesa Verde, but have to admit that it wasn’t the most engaging park for the kiddos. It is a lot of history, and a lot of driving. When you enter the park, the visitor center is just past the main gate, then it’s a 30-minute drive up switchbacks to the lodge. At the lodge the main road splits to the parks main attractions on Wetherill and Chapin Mesas, both of which are another 30-45 minute drive. Our boys loved the self-paced tour of Step House and biking with wild horses, but if not for those they would have lost interest.
Cliff Dwellings
Although the Ancestral Puebloans only used these cliff dwellings for the last 100 years of their time in Mesa Verde, these are definitely the main attraction. There are many different cliff dwellings you can view from overlooks and tour. The only cliff dwelling you can visit without scheduling a tour is the Step House, which is what we did. We visited in early May and didn’t realize how early in the season we were, the ranger-guided tours hadn’t begun yet. We were a little bummed to miss out on seeing the more elaborate cliff dwellings up close and would definitely book a tour if we visited again. These tours don’t usually begin for the season until the end of May. Please visit here to read more about the tours and book one. It’s definitely worth inquiring with a Park Ranger to find out which tour is best for your groups ages and abilities. Cliff Palace and Balcony House seem to be the more popular and recommended tours.
Wetherill Mesa
The only way to get to the self-guided Step House is by visiting Wetherill Mesa, only open May through September weather permitting. We got lucky and it was open when we were there in early May. While on Wetherill Mesa we also biked the 5-mile Long House Loop (a paved walking or biking trail), and stopped off to enjoy the overlook of Long House and a community of preserved pit houses. The highlight of our bike ride was getting up close to some of the wild horses known to roam in Mesa Verde National Park!
Two things about the horses: one, they are not tame creatures, of all the wild animals we encountered on our adventures they were definitely the most intimidating! Secondly, there is a plan to relocate the horses over the next several years due to their impact on native wildlife and cultural sites. That being said, our boys loved the encounter, so hopefully you’re lucky to catch them before they’re relocated.
Chapin Mesa
Chapin Mesa is open year round, and is where the 6-mile Mesa Top Loop is located. This loop has many stops to learn about the progression of the ancient dwellings in the park, from pit houses to cliff dwellings. It takes at least an hour and is not especially captivating for the kids. If you’re traveling with kids, we recommend checking out the museum, the short walk down to view Spruce Tree House, and focussing your stops on the Mesa Top Loop to Square Tower House Overlook, Sun Point View, and Sun Temple. Sun Temple is at the end of the loop and has a great panoramic view of Cliff Palace.
Visitor Center and Research Center
The Mesa Verde Visitor Center is at the entrance of the park and looked really nice. Unfortunately we entered the park in the evening and had to pass the closed Visitor Center and head up the hill to the Far View Lodge, and we had to leave in the early hours of the morning before it was open. So we never got to see inside!
Up by the lodge there is the Far View Terrace, with a cute gift shop and food options for breakfast and lunch to include a coffee bar. The only option for dinner in the park is the Metate Room which is a part of the lodge, and a little on the fancy side with reservations strongly recommended. We ate lunch at the terrace and enjoyed a picnic dinner from our cooler.
Best time to visit:
To get the most out of this park the best times to visit would be Summer and Fall, when all the tours are available.
Where we stayed:
We stayed inside the park at Far View Lodge and would definitely recommend it. It was so nice to already be on the mesa to start the day, especially since we only had one full day there. It allowed us to make the most of it. The rooms were small with basic amenities, but the balcony and the view were nice.
Other things to do:
You’re only 2 hours from Moab, UT and Arches National Park where there are so many cool things to do and see!
You’re also only 2.5 hours from the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. We loved this underrated National Park!
If you head east like we did leaving Mesa Verde you can stop off at Rachel’s Keep on Keepin On Coffee Shop and Food Truck in South Fork, CO. Enjoy some specialty coffees and breakfast burritos! If you have the time, eat in, she has a really cute seating area inside a dome tent.
