Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park earned its status from its rich cultural history. Established as the first national park “of its kind” in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt to “preserve the works of man,” the 4,000 archeological sites spread out over 80 square miles are an incredible learning experience for any visitor. The ancient cliffs dwellings of its former inhabitants, set high into the sandstone cliffs, are the rich center of this amazing park.
Our family visited Mesa Verde National Park over two days, following our time in Arches National Park and the Moab, Utah area.
On our first afternoon in the park, we drove the Mesa Top Loop Road, and enjoyed all of the stops along the way. We all learned about the different types of dwellings of the Pueblo – pithouses, early pueblos, and cliff dwellings, and had a wonderful time seeing the remnants of each. Our favorite stops along Mesa Top Loop Road were Sun Point View and Cliff Palace View. The kids really enjoyed learning about the history of the mesa.
We stayed overnight at the Morefield Campground in the park, conveniently located inside the parks gates. Keep in mind that it is still a 25-45 minute drive to most sites within the park from the campground, and there is little to no cell service in the park (or at the campground). In addition, it is important to note that RV’s over 25 feet are not allowed on the road to Wetherill Mesa. Because of this, our family chose to rent a Jeep in nearby Dolores, Colorado, to explore Wetherill Mesa during our second day in the park. We would highly recommend a Jeep Rental from Dolores Outfitters if you happen to find yourself in the same predicament.
After picking up our Jeep, we drove back into Mesa Verde National Park, to meet our scheduled tour of Long House. Our original plan was to tour Cliff Palace, the largest of the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde, but Cliff Palace was closed due to road construction during the tine of our visit. So, we had purchased tickets two weeks in advance (booked at the exact time they opened them up) to tour Long House, instead.
We all LOVED our ranger-led tour of Long House, which led us on a two-mile trek down from the mesa top and into this amazing cliff dwelling. The kids had a ton of questions for the ranger, and enjoyed learning about how the dwelling was built, how it served as the epicenter for life, and the history behind its abandonment. Fascinating!
A highlight of our tour was climbing the several ladders up and down into the various levels of the dwelling.
We all so enjoyed our time in Mesa Verde National Park!
