Mesa Verde National Park is near the border of Colorado and New Mexico. Normally I opt to stay in National Park lodging as the drive time between park entrance, sites, and local hotel is a big time commitment. This time, I decided to base in Farmington, NM at the Baymont Wyndham Inn, since it was equidistant to Mesa Verde and Chaco Cultural National Historic Park. This made for an early 6:00 am start time- it is approximatel ya 1 hour drive to the park entrance. Please note that there are NO gas stations within Mesa Verde so be sure you have a decent tank before arriving at the entrance. Once you reach the park entrance you have another- up to a one hour drive to reach the top mesa. At the park entrance you will show your pass- America the Beautiful is worth the investment if you are planning on visiting several national parks, you can also buy a pass online. Most passes allow you unlimited access for 7 days from purchase. If you are a 4th grader-national park admission is free! So make sure you visit the National Park web page and see what pass works best for you. At this writing- Mesa does not have any timed entry admission requirements- however it is recommended that you check the Mesa Verde National Park webpage to check the latest. Be certain you PRINT a physical copy of your online ticket as wifi service is unpredictable-nonexistent.

Mesa Verde is not exactly a straight forward park. Yes, you can drive the two loops and stop and see the sights, but if you actually want to go into any of the dwellings you will need a prepaid timed ticket. Cliff Palace is the one dwelling that is open during the tourist season whereas other dwellings such as Square Tower, Mug House, Long House, etc are operated for various months. So if you want to see Square House Tower and are visiting the park in August- be sure that dwelling is open at that time or you may be disappointed. Dwelling ticket tours for Cliff Palace are inexpensive, just a few dollars. It is the main site that everyone visits. You MUST have a timed ticket to take the tour. While tour tickets can be purchased at the park, the best way to guarantee your admission is to pre-purchase on line. Ticket sales generally start 2 weeks prior to the date you want to visit on the Recreation.gov website. You will want to create an account before buying. Ticket sales are on mountain standard time, so be sure you know what time the sales begin in your area. Cliff Dwelling tickets for Square House, Mug House, etc. are more expensive. These cost around $30/person with tours lasting around 90 min. During out visit, the Cliff Palace was closed due to road construction so if we wanted to see a dwelling we had no choice but to purchase the more expensive tour. We had the opportunity to chose between Square Tower and Mug House. Each tour is offered twice in a day. It is important that you allow at least one hour of travel time between different cliff dwelling tours due to distance. While I would have loved to have done both, financially one tour for a group of five was all that fit into the budget. You meet for the tour at Square House overlook. You will then use two ladders that are bolted to boulders to descend and later ascend. You do have to transfer from one ladder to the next with a bit of a side step- that is easy, but can be a little unnerving since you are basically hanging on a cliff. Once off the ladders, the trail is narrow, and meanders over a rocky path to the tower. The tower itself is beyond impressive. It boggles one’s mind to wonder how people lived on these narrow cliffs, brought all the materials necessary to build the dwelling, and secured daily food and water. Square Tower is the highest building in the park. You can visit the Kiva, see the original beams of a roof, petroglyphs and rock art. It was worth the tour ticket cost! You do need to show your tickets- you should print them out as there is spotty (at best!) internet service and you don’t want to lose a tour because you couldn’t show the ticket online.

One of the frustrating things about Mesa Verde is the lack of structures open to the public. The ones listed on the National Park website are often closed. The other is the trails. Mesa Verde’s trails open at 8:00 am. Some of the trails actually are locked by a tall, wire fence gate at sundown. This is a problem. A member of our party twisted an ankle on loose rock shortly before the halfway point. We had been told that the hardest part of the trail was at the halfway point, so we opted to turn back. When we reached the entrance, the gate was locked. Luckily my son was able to climb and vault the top of the fence and go for help. Even more fortunate there was a park ranger not far from the trail entrance doing rounds who was able to come and unlock the gate. So before heading out on a trail be sure you know if the trail will be locked at either the entrance or the exit. Again, there is no cell service in most areas of the park.

Mesa Verde actually has food- a rarity in the National Park system. Not only do they have food, but the food is spread out throughout the park AND it is reasonably priced especially if you bring your own beverage. We ordered our food at the Far Side Terrace Cafe and then sat outside on the picnic table until the buzzer went off letting us know our food was ready. You can also opt to eat in the Metate Dining Room which is in the lodge and has glass windows over lookiing the valley.

There are 3 routes that you will primarily use. The first runs from the park entrance to the visitor center. The visitor center is worth a visit- not only for its film, but for information regarding the park- your park ranger is a great source of information. The souvenir shop is where you can get your National Park Passport stamped (it’s located back where the passport books are sold). The National Junior Park Ranger program is also available here. One can pick up an activity book, complete the book, bring it back to the park ranger station and be sworn in as a junior park ranger- complete with badge. It is a great way to get the most out of your visit in the park. This is also your chance to have flushing toilets!

The second road loops around the Cliff Dwelling palace. The third road loops around the top mesa, The Wetherill Mesa is a driving loop tour. One should download the Mesa Top Audio tour to help understand the sites and views that are available on this route. The information adds significantly to the experience. Illustrated boards are present at each stop to explain the site. If you miss a stop or want to see something again- just complete the loop and start again. The stops have some designated parking spots, so on busy days you might need to park on the side of the road. Each stop has a port a potty like building- it is concrete, with a stove pipe and minimal odor. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer is available. The walkways to each of these sites is paved making easy access for strollers and wheelchairs. Additionally, the paths are lined with local vegetation. On this loop, many views of Cliff Palace can be had- a pair of binoculars help you get a close up view. There are some mounted scopes at one of the view spots.

If you are not used to living at altitude (Mesa Verde’s peak reaches 8,000+ feet) you might find yourself huffing and puffing on hikes or just moving around sites- that is because your body is less equipped to carry oxygen in these conditions. The body does acclimatize, but it generally takes about 24 hours. It is important that you have ample fluids, food and sleep to assist this process. Water is sold at the visitor’s center, and gift shops. It is recommended that one carry approximately 2 liters of water to maintain adequate hydration, especially on those hot summer days. When hiking in hot weather, one should plan on drinking a quart every hour. Trail maps are available for download on the Mesa Verde National Park site, for purchase at the visitor center and through All Trails- if you plan on hiking the trails- you should carry a filtration straw that would allow you to drink water safely, an emergency foil blanket, a first aid kit, flashlight, and pen knife. Be sure you use sunscreen, lip balm sunscreen and most importantly- pack out what you pack in. Take only memories!