John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

In my opinion the Anasazi cliff dwelling ruins at Mesa Verde National Park are one of the Seven Man-Made Wonders of the USA and Canada.

Pronunciation

The name Mesa Verde is Spanish for "green table-land". The correct Spanish pronunciation is "May-za Verr-day" but I am informed that locals pronounce the name as "May-sa Vurd".

Location

Southwestern Colorado, on US160 between the towns of Cortez and Durango.

Size

81 square miles. For comparison, the size of the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England is 147 square miles.

What to See and Do

Mesa Verde is the only National Park in the United States where the main purpose is to preserve the works of man rather than the works of nature. The Park contains some of the most impressive and well-preserved examples of Anasazi (pre-Indian) cliff dwellings and other related ruins.

From the park entrance on US160 you drive up a fairly steep but good quality paved road to the top of the most imposing mesa, which lies to the south of the US Highway. The main part of the park lies entirely on the top of this mesa.

There are several interesting places worth stopping at on the drive up to the top of the mesa, with some superb views. A short spur road leads to Park Point, the highest point in the park. A short, paved path climbs up to the weather station at the point itself, from which there is an excellent 360 degree view over a huge area.

The Visitor Centre is located on the northern side of the mesa, about fifteen miles from the park entrance on US160.

After taking a look round the Visitor Centre and purchasing any tour tickets that you require, you can then head south to the main group of cliff dwellings on Chapin Mesa, or alternatively you can head west and then south to another group of Anasazi ruins on Wetherill Mesa. Each of these mesas are parts of Mesa Verde and both lie within the Park.

Each group of fascinating cliff dwelling ruins are found in broad, open, cave-like recesses located just under the lip of the mesa top. Photograph (133KB). The ruins are remarkably well preserved.

Some ruins can be toured by yourself, with rangers on duty at each site to answer any questions.

Other ruins can only be visited on ranger-guided tours, for each of which there is now a small charge of $1.75 per person (summer 1999). We would strongly advise you to take at least one of the ranger-guided tours since they fully explain the history of the ruins and what is known about the Anasazi. Each tour lasts one hour and tours start every half hour during the summer. Tickets for tours can only be purchased at the Visitor Centre.

There are also various ruins and reconstructions of Anasazi mesa-top dwellings which date from different periods in their development.

There are excellent views from the top of the mesa over the surrounding country.

Chapin Mesa

This is the main group of cliff dwellings and other ruins, located about six miles south of the Visitor Centre. Many of the cliff dwellings can be seen from the various overlooks on the Mesa Top Loop Road, but you need to walk down to see the ruins close-up. The climb back up from each ruin to the mesa top is strenuous and in some cases involves climbing ladders.

Cliff Palace is Mesa Verde's largest cliff dwelling. This is the least strenuous guided tour. Tickets required. There is an excellent view of Cliff Palace from the overlook at the top of the trail, with no climbing required apart from a few steps and no tickets required.

Balcony House is the most challenging tour, involving five ladders and a crawl through a narrow tunnel. Tickets required.

Spruce Tree House is the third largest cliff dwelling. No tickets required.

The Archaeological Museum on Chapin Mesa is well worth a visit. The Spruce Tree House trail starts beside the Museum. There is an excellent view of Spruce Tree House from only a very short way down the Spruce Tree Trail, with no tickets required.

There also various mesa-top ruins at Chapin Mesa, also well worth visiting. No tickets required.

Wetherill Mesa

As well as the main cliff dwellings area at Chapin Mesa, the Wetherill Mesa area (also within the park) is well worth a visit if you have time. The fairly narrow but paved twelve mile long road from the Visitor Centre to Wetherill Mesa is very scenic and there is another cliff dwelling tour to be had there, which involves a free tram ride from the parking area. There are also reconstructed/restored pit houses on the mesa top which are of great historical interest. You must now drive your own car to Wetherill Mesa. The bus service which used to take you from the Farview Visitor Centre to Wetherill Mesa many years ago no longer operates.

The trail to Step House starts near the Wetherill Mesa car park. There are two routes to chose from, one involving a lengthy set of stairs. No ticket is required to visit Step House and you don't need to take a tram ride.

Long House is the second largest cliff dwelling in the park. The tour involves three ladders. Tickets are required. Park at Wetherill Mesa, then take the free tram ride. After taking the Long House tour you can then either ride the tram straight back to the parking area or preferably take a relaxing stroll through the Badger House mesa-top ruins.

Badger House is a group of mesa-top sites at Wetherill Mesa. Park at Wetherill Mesa and ride the tram to and from Badger House (taking the Long House tour if you wish and if you have tickets). The trail through Badger House is flat and very easy. Although the tram rides are free and no tickets are required for Badger House, seats on the trams are allocated first to those visitors who are taking the Long House tour, and other visitors are only carried if there is enough free space.

After picking up passengers who have completed the Badger House trail, the tram stops at a couple of overlooks before returning to the Wetherill Mesa parking area.

Wetherill Mesa is only open to the public during the summer.

Historical Development At Mesa Verde

The earliest known inhabitation at Mesa Verde took place in the cave-like recesses under the mesa top. The people of this stage are called Basket Makers.
The second stage consisted of the construction of pit houses on the mesa top.
The third stage was the classic period when the elaborate cliff houses were constructed in the recesses under the mesa top. Many of these constructions included kivas - circular rooms having a consistent design, thought to be used for religious or ceremonial purposes.
The area was then suddenly deserted for reasons which are still not known. Theories to explain this include warfare or famine due to drought. It is thought that the Anasazi may have moved southwest and were the ancestors of the Hopi.
The cliff dwellings were known to the Native American tribes of the area but feared by them.
The cliff dwellings were accidentally discovered by cowboys searching for missing cows. Shortly afterwards the area was designated as a National Park in order to preserve the ruins and relics.
Many other Anasazi ruins and relics can be found throughout the American southwest. There is considerable evidence that the Anasazi traded with other people living far away.

Entrance Fee

Entrance fee for a normal car, including the driver and all passengers, for seven days $10 (Apr-01).

Some Ideas for Places to Stay

In the Area

Special Mention

We would like to thank all the Park Rangers at Mesa Verde who helped us so much when our rental car suffered a burst radiator hose at Park Point in April 2001, especially Chief Ranger Charlie Peterson who devoted several hours of very considerable effort and skill into resolving the situation.

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As with all the other pages on this personal web site, all the information on this page is solely the opinion of the author, who has no connection whatsoever with any of the companies and organisations mentioned other than as an actual or potential customer.

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Most recently modified 29-Mar-02