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Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings Guide for First-Time Visitors

April 10, 2021

Located in the four corners region of southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park protects close to 5,000 known archeological sites of the Ancestral Pueblo who lived here from 600 to 1300 CE.

For those visiting Denver and considering a trip to Mesa Verde, getting to this national park is quite the long-haul trek. It takes about 7 hours to drive from Denver to Cortez where the park is located, so it’s definitely not a Denver Day Trip contender (unless you’re insane).

Good news is, your efforts to get here will be more than worth it. At Mesa Verde, there are many unique things to see and do, including viewing ancient petroglyph engravings, stepping inside the ancestral ruins of our Native Americans, touring the museum and visitor’s center, wildlife watching, nature and landscape photography, and seeing the ancestral sites from several absolutely stunning overlooks throughout the park.

What is Mesa Verde Known For?

Mesa Verde is best known for its Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, including Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde’s largest cliff dwelling.

The Park was established in 1906 to protect these important archeological sites, and they can only be toured with a guide.

In addition to the cliff dwellings, the park is known for its scenic Mesa Top Loop Road, offering beautiful views of the cliff dwellings, its unique hiking trails and petroglyphs. Visitors can view a panel of petroglyph drawings by taking Petroglyph Point Trail, a 2.4-mile loop trail that takes you through a forest and up a stone staircase on the return.

Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

There are over 600 cliff dwellings within Mesa Verde National Park. Only 5 of these cliff dwellings are open for guided tours, which can be reserved up to 14 days in advance.

Tours of Mesa Verde’s cliff dwellings are only offered from late Spring to early Fall. Each site varies for when it’s open, so if you’re really interested in a tour, make sure you check the times and reserve your spot in advance. In the summer months, these tours sell out quickly.

It’s also important to note that visiting any of the cliff houses requires some strenuous hiking at high elevations. For added fun, you’ll also be traversing steep and uneven steps and climbing ladders at the sites.

The shortest trip distance is to the popular Cliff Palace. The walking distance is 1/4 mile roundtrip but also involves climbing four ladders. To visit Long House, you’ll need to trek 2.25 miles roundtrip and climb two l5-foot ladders.

Want something more exercise intensive? Visit the Spring House, the largest un-excavated cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde. Spend the entire day on an 8-mile journey with an elevation change of about 1,500 feet, plus some scrambling. Fun for those looking for added adventure.

When are the Cliff Dwellings open at Mesa Verde?

At Mesa Verde, the Cliff Palace is open for guided tours from late May to mid-September, and Long House is open from mid-May to mid-October. Check the latest information on pricing and times and how to purchase tickets before your visit.

Is Mesa Verde National Park Worth Visiting?

The ancestral cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde are some of the best-preserved in all of North America. This on its own makes it a worthwhile visit. But there are also many other unique things to do and see if you’re planning a road trip in southern Colorado that will most certainly round out the experience.

For starters, you can also visit the nearby Canyons of the Ancients Monument (30 minutes to the west), Four Corners National Monument (1-hour southwest), and Chimney Rock National Monument (1.5 hours to the east). And if you’re willing to drive a little further, you can explore two more Colorado national parks, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Great Sand Dunes, both located about 4 hours from Mesa Verde.

Unable to tour the cliff dwellings? Is Mesa Verde still worth a visit?

Absolutely. When we visited Mesa Verde for the first time, we didn’t plan ahead and all the available tours for the cliff dwellings were sold out. But that didn’t stop us from seeing them or having a great time.

So if a tour isn’t available, if you have accessibility concerns, or if you don’t know whether you want to climb a 15-foot ladder, you’ll absolutely be able to see the dwellings from a distance by driving the 6-mile Mesa Top Loop Road through the park.

When to Visit Mesa Verde National Park?

If you’re interested in touring the cliff dwellings, late May or early September would be the most ideal time to visit the park as you’ll avoid the peak crowds of the summer months. But if you don’t care about touring the ruins, and you’re fine with viewing them from a distance, then early Spring or late Fall is an excellent time to visit Mesa Verde. Temperatures will be cooler and the sun will not be at its peak overhead, often resulting in better pictures of the cliff dwellings.

Winter at Mesa Verde

Winter is a distinctly unique time of year to visit Mesa Verde National Park. Although the cliff dwelling tours won’t be available for tours, you’ll have the opportunity to see snow-dusted vistas and explore the park’s many trails with more solitude and serenity. There are also cross-country skiing and snowshoeing opportunities, weather permitting.

how long do you need to visit mesa Verde national park?

Once you’ve officially entered the park, it can still take at least one hour to reach the cliff dwellings. With this in mind, visitors should allow at least four hours to get into the park, explore the visitor center and drive the 6-mile Mesa Top Loop Road.

If you’re planning a guided tour of the cliff dwellings, then you’ll need to allow for almost a full day within the park. If you’d like to hike, consider camping within the park and starting the day early with one of the amazing hiking trails.

Check out this Mesa Verde National Park map for a better sense of where things are located within the park.

tips for photographing the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde

Cliff Palace and Spruce House both face west and are best photographed in the mid to late afternoons. Balcony House faces east and is fully shaded mid-day and beyond.

If you’re planning to attend a guided tour, the park recommends you bring a camera with a shoulder strap or a camera backpack as you’ll need both hands to climb ladders to access the sites.

Not going on a tour and still want to get great pictures of the cliff dwellings? If you have a camera with a telephoto lens, this will be your best friend. You’ll be viewing the ruins from quite a distance, in some cases across a literal canyon, so the more focal reach you have the better.

Want to see what’s in our camera bag? After 20+ years in the photography industry, see what system I rely on for ultimate ruggedness, dreamy tones, and exposure perfection.

Mesa Verde Camping

Morefield Campground is the only campground within Mesa Verde National Park, and it’s only fully open from May to September, with limited services extending into mid-April and mid-October. Thankfully, all 267 sites are reservable in advance.

As campgrounds go, there are some pretty swanky amenities onsite, including flushing toilets and hot showers. If you love to camp in and around national parks, you already know that this is hardly a given. For dry RV or tent camping, the fee $36/night. For full hook-ups, the rate is $50/night.

If you’re more of a thrifty camper, there are a few free BLM sites on the outskirts surrounding Mesa Verde, including a dispersed campsite in Mancos, Colorado.

Where to Stay Around Mesa Verde National Park

If you’re looking for a unique vacation rental in Colorado, there are several really cool Airbnbs near Mesa Verde National Park.

Among my favorites is Stump Henge, an authentically replicated sheepherder’s wagon in the small town of Dolores. Set on a quiet family farm, this adorable tiny home is perfect for 1-2 guests visiting in May to October and has a great outdoor fire pit and sitting area for stargazing.

Below are a few more unique places to stay near Mesa Verde and Cortez, all of them exceptionally awesome, in our humble opinions.

how many people visit Mesa Verde?

Since 2014, Mesa Verde has seen around half a million visitors each year, apart from 2020 due to the pandemic. June, July and August are the park’s peak months for visitors, with December, January and February seeing the least number of guests.

In comparison, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado’s most-visited national park, has seen over four million annual visitors each year since 2015.

where are colorado’s national parks?

There are four national parks in Colorado, each of them spread apart by several hours’ worth of driving, and all of them offering distinctly unique experiences. If you’re trying to do all of Colorado’s national parks in one road trip, you’ll need over a week to really do it justice.

Below is a map showing a potential road trip loop for seeing all of Colorado’s National Parks. It’s actually a pretty cool loop to do, and you get to see some pretty amazing scenery in between all that cool National Park scenery. I recommend doing the loop counterclockwise, stopping at Rocky Mountain National Park first, followed by Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, then Mesa Verde National Park, ending with stargazing at Great Sand Dunes National Park. It’s a lot of time in the car, but if you allow yourself at least 7-10 days total to do it, you will have plenty of time to see them all without feeling rushed.

More Unique Things to Do in Southern Colorado

Image Credits:

Cliff Palace dwellings illuminate by lanterns - Dusty Demerson/cbdusty - stock.adobe.com; Petroglyph Panel - Dominic Gentilcore/Dominic - stock.adobe.com; cliff dwellings ruin - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; cliff dwellings tour ladder - fotofishfifty/stock.adobe.com; pit house and villages - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; cliff dwellings - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; winter at Mesa Verde - rsgphoto - stock.adobe.com; Mesa Verde ruins - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; sun temple - Laurens Hoddenbagh/Laurens - stock.adobe.com; Morefield Campground Mesa Verde - Laura Camp/https://www.flickr.com/photos/lauracamp/; Stump Henge Airbnb - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; Private Sage Canyon Cliff House, Juniper’s Tent, Canyon Hideout Bungalow - Photos courtesy of Airbnb; cliff dwellings tour - Joseph Sohm/spiritofamerica - stock.adobe.com; cliff dwellings - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; Unique Things to do at Great Sand Dunes - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; Black Canyon of the Gunnison - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; Rocky Mountain National Park - rondakimbrow - stock.adobe.com; Stargazing at Great Sand Dunes - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; The UFO Watchtower - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; Museum of the Mountain West - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; for Pinterest Pin image credits, click on the related Pin