Mesa Verde is a really neat National Park in the Four Corners. It is located in Colorado about halfway between Durango and Cortez. Mesa Verde is a unique and special national park! The park contains numerous archaeological sites and the well preserved ancient cliff dwellings once inhabited by the Ancestral Pueblo people.
Mesa Verde was home to approximately 600 cliff dwellings. For 700 years, people lived precariously perched on the side of these cliffs.
Mesa Verde National Park Must-See
My Mesa Verde National Park must-see sight is Cliff Palace. Cliff Palace contains 150 rooms and is the largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park. It was believed to be home to around 100 people.
For a better perspective on what it would have been like to live in these amazing structures, be sure to take the Cliff Palace guided tour offered by the National Park Service.
The Cliff Palace tour lasts about an hour and is only about a 1/4 of a mile in length. However, it does include some steps and requires climbing a few ladders. Since Mesa Verde is at an elevation of approximately 7000 feet, the park service rates this hike as strenuous.
In my opinion, the Cliff Palace tour was not overly difficult and the ladders weren’t scary. My kiddo did fine and thought it was fun. However, I don’t think this tour would be a fit for a toddler or infant.
If you are physically able to take the Cliff Palace tour, I think you’ll find it is well worth the effort. I highly recommend putting this tour on top of your Mesa Verde National Park must-see list!
