9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. - every hour, Cliff Palace Tours (ticket required) If you can get a decently priced flight to Durango from where you live, even with layovers, this would definitely be your best bet! Mesa Top Ruins Road will be at least another hour and if you want to tour either Cliff Palace or Balcony House you will probably need to add 1.5 to 2 hours. 5 Reasons to Visit Mesa Verde this Winter - Uncover Colorado Mesa Verde National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum Open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Heres a rundown of each type, as well as the current cliff dwelling tours that are offered for each type. As always, we recommend having the 10 essentials on you when venturing into nature, but here are a few key items we want to point out that will especially help you during your visit!To ensure you have a safe and enjoyable time at Mesa Verde, here are some items wed suggest bringing with you! CLOSED for season October 1, 2023, Casual dining and gift shop. Coordinates: 371000N 1082822W. Hampton Inn Mesa Verde/CortezHoliday Inn Express Mesa Verde-CortezBest Western Turquoise Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn DurangoHomewood SuitesFairfield Inn & Suites. Early April - Mid May: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm - every hour If you plan to drive to Mesa Verde National Park, heres how long you can expect to drive from other popular destinations nearby. Long House. Whitewater trips for more experienced adventurers. This tour takes around 90 minutes and involves quite a lot of ladder climbing. The park no longer accepts cash or checks for any entrance fees, Interagency Passes, or ticket sales. Open 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Morefield Ranger Station: Open (Closes early August) Tour tickets sold here from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The air is SO dry in Southwest Colorado. If you can't spend at least a day, I'd spend more time on something else you were planning to see. The 2023 tour season will run from. from . Currently closed for construction. There are quite a few areas to go and we struggled to have the best cell service here, but were able to make it work to get some work done. The best times to visit this trail are February through November. FAQS | VisitMesaVerde.com Open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please be prepared to present your hard copy pass or digital pass on your mobile device. But despite the frustrating and upsetting moments, none of which were really the parks fault, we still really enjoyed visiting Mesa Verde National Park. This road is open from 8 AM-sunset and is such a great, accessible way to see different views of the park, many cliff dwellings, and learn the progression of structures that made up the park, from the original pithouses to the larger cliff dwellings.While we recommend stopping at all sites, some of our favorite spots along the route were the Navajo Canyon View, Square Tower House Lookout, Sun Point View, and Sun Temple (where you can see Cliff Palace as well! Important! Get around Durango in style with rental vehicles. - Stock Photos provided by our partner Depositphotos, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Hi yall! $109.00. Plan your visit and learn more about the park at the Mesa Verde Visitor & Research Center. We will include our top suggestions of things to do in one day at Mesa Verde National Park at the end of this guide! Unfortunately we were unable to hike it because it was closed due to bear activity the day before, which was a huge bummer. All visitors to Mesa Verde National Park must present a pass (Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Pass, Interagency Military Pass, Interagency Access Pass, or an annual 4th Grade Pass) or pay an entrance fee upon arrival (or. Going on a cliff dwelling tour is the #1 thing we suggest doing in Mesa Verde National Park and since three out of the four areas in the park offer them, were giving it its own section on the guide! There are a series of five ladders to climb on a 100 ft vertical climb, with a walking distance of approximately 400 meters round trip. NOTE: The actual dwellings you can tour seem to vary often due to closures or restoration, so check the Mesa Verde National Park website to see what tours are currently being offered, as well as the time slots and months they are offered. These tours start off at the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. Pets are allowed too!Eclectic 1 Bedroom Casita (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom): This casita is so charming, with super nice features and lots of character.Cairn Cottage (Studio, 1 bathroom): Location, location, location! Required fields are marked *. Mid May - End of May: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm every 1/2 hour. Open Self-guided 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Balcony House Tours (ticket required) Find incredible places and experiences that help you bring home a story through Now imagine building your house on a ledge on the side of that cliff? Guess I'll see how we do when we get to that part of the US. Overcharged by Aramark when booking Mesa Verde?? Demand is high for these tours during the summer season so you might have to choose between the Balcony House tour and the Cliff Palace tour, but you can usually fit in a visit to Long House on the same day as either of the other tours. May 28 August 12 | 8:30 am to 4:30pm, DAILY Those tours take about 4 hours, but you'd need to add on the time it takes to get into the park and back out to the highway when you're figuring your schedule. 10:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. We also then got pulled over because we seemed suspicious parking in a lot that earlyoops! Check the park's Facebook page for the most current information on closures. CLOSED for season 10 am, October 26, 2023, Lodging, gift shop; front desk open 24 hours. Facilities and Cliff Dwellings hours and operations schedule are subject to change. Is 3/4 hours enough? NB The museum is closed for federal holidays during the winter time. Preview trail Scenic driving Bird watching Forest Views Wildflowers Wildlife Fee No dogs Description Facilities Getting There Mesa Verde National Park charges a fee to enter. You will need to be logged into recreation.gov and ready to go minutes beforehand so you can refresh right at 8 AM MST. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. We had both kids and adults on the tour, so even though it had some obstacles, it was doable for everyone and a blast! On ranger-assisted tours, you will enter the cliff dwelling during a specific time slot and explore more at your own pace. Service Updates - MesaVerde For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. And while we normally love to include a step by step itinerary to hopefully make planning easier, its a bit hard to do that for Mesa Verde because if you do a ranger led tour, the starting time varies and the locations vary. Note: Wetherill Mesa is closed until mid-July 2023. During our visit, there were only a few tour options available and we ended up touring the Square House Tower on a small, 10 person backcountry tour. The Ancestral Puebloans did just that. I don't usually recommend the Aramark tours, because the park is easily toured on your own, along with the $3 ranger tours, but for someone short on time or who enjoys tours and the additional information they can provide, the guided bus tour might be worth the cost. Allow 45 minutes to one hour. The facilities, however, are not. Want More? Between November and March, you'll see another, quieter side of the park. You can visit the park without a ticket for anything. 2. Miles: 2.1 milesElevation Gain: 531 feetTrail Map & Current ConditionsThis hike takes you up to the Point Lookout, which has expansive views of the San Juan Mountains, La Plata Mountains, and the Mancos and Montezuma Valleys. As we mentioned in our last post, this year our go, Sowe didn't film a video in Rhode Island. Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park. We will include options for both inside the park and the neighboring towns below! Mesa Verde National Park is 8 miles from Cortez via Hwy. The park protects nearly 5,000 known archaeological sites including 600 cliff dwellings. Cliff Palace Enter date to see available times, or click for ticket details. There are people that spend a lifetime exploring this area. Its about halfway between Durango and Mesa Verde, so its a great spot to make your home base for the area.We have stayed here in both 2020 and 2021 and have loved it both times. May 25 August 10, 2023 | 9:00 am to 5:30 pm We only recommend products we truly love, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too! Mesa Top Loop is a 6 mile road that includes 12 overlooks and archeological sites that showcase 700 years of Mesa Verde history. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day Downtown Durango Studio (Studio, 1 bathroom): We stayed here when riding the train in Durango and it was a great spot! Mesa Verde National Park is open daily, year round. The Ancestral Pueblo people lived here before the cliff dwellings were built and at one point was the most densely populated area of the mesa! For the most current information, call Park headquarters at 970-529-4465 or log onto the Mesa Verde National Park Service . In fact, Mesa Verde means green table in Spanish, due to the abundance of Juniper trees and other greenery that cover the mesas, canyons, and valleys. The gate at the Petroglyph Point and Spruce Canyon Trailhead will also open at 7 a.m. MDT. Open 24 hours, Breakfast at Campground Store. All tours are appropriate for well-prepared hikers, but are strenuous, so please consider your physical health before choosing a tour/hike, espicially if you have heart or respiratory problems, or other physical difficulties.Elevations ranges between 7,000 and 7,500 feet (2134 , and 2286 m) above sea level. It's easiest to think of this park in three sections: (1) the viewpoints along Mesa Top Ruins Road between the main entrance and Far View Lodge, (2) the sites along Mesa Top Ruins Road and Mesa Top Loop Road, and (3) Wetherill Mesa. The cliff dwelling and park are in Montezuma County, in the southwestern corner of . Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum The park is always open, except under emergency conditions. Spruce Tree House, Self-guided Below are the top things to focus on when planning your adventures, split up by the different areas of the park, that way you know what sites are close together. Although the park is open year-round, overnight accommodations and some areas (including Wetherill Mesa) are closed during the winter months. When visiting Mesa Verde National Park, there are quite a few options of where to stay, including multiple towns and cities, options inside and outside of the park, as well as different lodging types. Mesa Verde National Park does not require a Timed Ticket Entry to enter the park. From Denver, Cortez is about seven-and-a-half hours via U.S. Hwys. You will need a full day at least. This road will be closing in 2021 once the construction at the Cliff Palace Loop is completed. Wetherill Mesa is a windy and steep road and because of this, vehicles over 8,000 pounds and 25 feet in length are not allowed. You can only get these tickets from the Far View Visitor Center, and theyll set you back $10 each. So we checked everyday before our visit to see if any became available and while some single tickets opened up for some tours, we couldnt find two tickets.But by some miracle, the day before we planned to visit we checked one last time and TWO tickets were available for the Square Tower House. Open 8 am to Sunset, DAILY. How much time needed in the Park - Mesa Verde National Park Forum Need water or a dump station? Sunrise and sunset times in Mesa Verde National Park Today, the park protects nearly 5,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. Spruce Tree House, Self-guided Open 8 am to Sunset, DAILY, A 6-mile (10 km) driving tour through 700 years of Ancestral Pueblo history. Heres what you can expect to find open or closed, depending on when you visit Mesa Verde National Park. They do not have TVs though! 1 TumbleweedandCactus Park City, Utah Level Contributor 25,663 posts 428 reviews 218 helpful votes 1. La Plata Canyon Jeep Tour, Waterfall's & Ghost Town ~ Half Day - 4 Hours. ), as well as other structures. CLOSED for season October 27, 2023, Groceries and gifts. Read the latest press release here. For more information on the variety of tours offered next season, please visit the Mesa Verde National Park Cliff Dwelling Tours page . Hours of Operation - Mesa Verde National Park (U.S. National Park Service) One other thing to notethey do close the road to this site in the winter.After we maxed out our 14 day allowed stay at Madden Peak, another spot we checked out was Crystal Creek Ditch, which was close to Mancos. Its also pet friendly, which was key for us!Hip In-Town Condo (2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom): This condo is super aesthetic, with lots of beautiful design choices, including a swing inside!Cedar House Condo (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom): This very stylish condo is located about a mile from downtown and has so many nice touches!New, Modern Condo (1 bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms): As the name implies, this condo has lots of modern finishes and is close to downtown. CLOSED for season October 26, 2023, Dinner at Far View Lodge. 450 to 1300. Unlike some national parks, Mesa Verde National Park does not have a park shuttle. ), with thousands of Pueblo archeological sites and cliff dwellings. Starting from the parking area at Balcony House, its approximately a 25 minute drive from the visitor center. There are a few different types of cliff dwelling tours, either ranger-assisted, ranger-guided, or self-guided, which will each offer a slightly different experience. Seems a shame if I can't squeeze this in as I don't know when I'll get the chance again. 4WD Tours. There are limited services during this time, including the campground and lodge being closed, as well as no cliff dwelling tours, but winter does bring the chance to experience the park in a way you cannot in other seasons, either by snowshoe or cross country skiing!You can see a more in-depth guide to winter at Mesa Verde National Park here. Along this road there are various sites and trails to check out, all of which tell different stories of the areas history. Guided Tour to Cliff Palace, Balcony House, or Long House You can't visit Mesa Verde without stepping into the cliff dwellings. While there are lots of trees in Mesa Verde and covered areas, some of the overlooks are pretty exposed and the Southwest Colorado sun can be pretty harsh, so make sure to bring sunglasses and sunscreen. A Complete Guide to Visiting Mesa Verde National Park I have visited Mesa Verde close to 100 times and it still takes us 2 full days to visit. April 19 - October 19 Far View Lodge is the only lodging inside of Mesa Verde National Park and is located 15 miles from the park entrance. Please either print your reservation confirmation email or save a screenshot on your mobile device before arriving at the park. new adventures through a one-stop shop for inspiration and ideation, trip planning, information sharing, January 2 May 27 | 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, DAILY, Learn more about the ancestral people of Mesa Verde and enjoy the park film. The museum and Chapin Mesa sites are . We may earn a commission when you use one of our links to make a purchase. 15. Long House (Wetherill Mesa)Dates: May 29-October 23Length: These tours happen every 30 minutes from 9:30-11:30 AM and 1:30-3 PM and last about one hour.Distance: 2.25 miles of walking and includes some laddersCost: $8/personNumber of spots per tour: 25 per time slotThe Long House is the second largest cliff dwelling in the park and also has amazing views of the parks canyons and mesas! Current Local Time in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA Sunrise, Sunset, and Daylength, May 2023 Sun & Moon Today Sunrise & Sunset Moonrise & Moonset Moon Phases Eclipses Night Sky Daylight 5:57 am - 8:25 pm 14 hours, 28 minutes Rise/Set Times Day/Night Length 2023 Sun Graph for Mesa Verde National Park JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec The Ultimate Guide to Camping in Mesa Verde National Park No.1 Navajo Hill. We think you could easily spend one day in the park and see the best sites, ruins, and dwellings, including going on a ranger-guided tour.If you want to do everything we include on this guide, you will need two days, but we think you can get a true feel for the park and its history in one day. Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330. See options All photos (605) Mesa Top Loop Road. May 28 August 12 | 8:30 am to 6:00 pm, DAILY Mesa Verde National Park has a few different areas to explore and for the sake of this guide, we will be organizing the park up into four main areas: Mesa Top Ruins Road (the main road through the park), Mesa Top Loop, Cliff Palace Loop, and Wetherill Mesa. Camping (Services Available): May 15 October 19, 2023 It costs between $20-$30 per vehicle, depending on the time of the year, to enter Mesa Verde National Park, which covers 7 days. Camping in Mesa Verde is permitted at Morefield Campground, with over 267 campsites . Beginning in 2023, all ranger assisted and guided tours require reservations booked here on the Recreation.gov website or through the toll free number at 1-877-444-6777. There is far too much to see in Colorado to worry about squeezing one thing in. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table and the campground does have a dump station and showers. 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They built their home and villages on the sides of cliffs. Tickets are required and are available online 14 days in advance of tour. Cliff Palace | Mesa Verde National Park CO | VisitMesaVerde.com The Lodge is 15 miles from the Entrance Gate. Once there are done with Chapin Mesa roads will they then start work on Wetherill Mesa roads? Far View Lodge, 15 miles inside the park, is the only lodging available inside the park. It gets its name from three mugs tied together, which are hanging inside one of the rooms. If youre unable to get tickets to one of the guided tours, a self-guided tour is a great option! May 25 September 7, 2023 | 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm Din ( Navajo ), Nuche ( Ute ), Apache, and Pueblo people knew of the structures well before rancher Richard Wetherill and Charles Mason encountered them in 1888. You may book online at Aramark's Mesa Verde website or call 1-800-449-2288.. The ranger-guided backcountry tours are more intimate, with small group sizes, and provide an in-depth experience of some lesser seen cliff dwellings. Besides going on one of the ranger-assisted, ranger-guided, or self-guided tours in Wetherill Mesa, there isnt a ton to do, expect hiking the 5 mile Long House Loop Trail, which is a paved, dog friendly trail that will take you to different viewpoints and sites along the way, including views of Long House, Kodak House, Nordenskild Site #16, and the Badger House Community. Normally open year round, but currently closed until further noticeThe Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum is one of the oldest museums in the national park system and has displays about the Ancestral Pueblo peoples, artifacts, and a film to watch.