Exploring Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park
Ranger-Guided Hiking Tours of Ancient Cliff Dwellings
Jan 11, 2009
Mesa Verde National Park is located in Southwestern Colorado about 200 miles southwest of Denver and approximately 250 miles northwest of Albuquerque. Mesa Verde National Park is notable for its massive and extremely well preserved cliff dwellings. These dwellings were home to the Ancestral Pueblo people for hundreds of years. These people built complex stone houses and religious ceremonial rooms called kivas in the protected alcoves of the canyon walls. For still unknown reasons these elaborate dwellings were abandoned about 1200 AD.
Guided Tours of Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings
Mesa Verde contains over 4000 recognized archaeological sites. A number of these sites can be toured during your visit but many require a ranger-guided tour. Two of the cliff dwellings are seasonally available on a self-guided basis. All tours require hiking and can be strenuous to some. Purchase tour tickets at the Far View Visitor Center as early as 8am or at the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum in October after the Far View Visitor Center closes for the season. As of January 2009, the fee for a guided tour of Cliff Palace, Balcony House or Long House is US $3.
Touring the Cliff Palace
Cliff Palace is Mesa Verde’s largest cliff dwelling (and one of the largest in the world) with 151 separate rooms and 23 kivas. Touring Cliff Palace requires a total hiking distance of ¼ mile with a 100-foot descent to get to the dwelling and a 100-foot ascent to return to the trailhead. The trails also contains five, 8-10-foot ladders that must be scaled. Archeologists believe that Cliff Palace was the home to 2 separate communities and a large, unique kiva in the center of the dwelling painted one color on one side and a different color on the other signified the joining of the two communities.
Balcony House Tours
Just getting to the Balcony House is certainly an adventure. This one-hour tour involves descending 90-feet of stairs, climbing a 20- and 32-foot ladder, and slipping through a 12-foot tunnel. This tour is not ideal for those with a fear of heights or small places. When you reach the dwelling, you will be standing on a level floor high above the creek bed of Soda Canyon and undoubtedly reach an appreciation of the skills and agility of the Ancestral Puebloans in creating such a place. Balcony House is named for the remnants of a balcony found in this dwelling.
Touring the Long House
In the less visited Wetherhill Mesa area of the Park, touring the Long House begins with a tram ride to and from the trailhead. This 90-minute ranger led tour also requires climbing two ladders within the site. The roundtrip hike is ¾ miles and is strenuous due to the higher elevation and the 130-foot gain of elevation to return. The Long House consists of 150 rooms and 21 kivas stretching out over a rather long alcove. Most notable is the large plaza in the center where communities were thought to gather and dance.
For information on where to stay when visiting Mesa Verde, see Mesa Verde National Park Lodging.
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