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1. Cliff Palace
Visit one of the most well-preserved and breathtaking cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park — this is the one you see in all the pictures! You’ll be filled with a sense of wonder and amazement as you stand at the base of these perfectly constructed buildings.
What You Need to Know
You’ve got a few options for viewing Cliff Palace. The first (and most popular) is to snag tickets for a ranger-led tour through the site. You’ll hike down to the dwelling and enjoy learning about the Native Americans that inhabited the area. This tour does not allow you to get up close and personal with the site….it’s a lot of standing and listening. If you’re looking for a more interactive experience with the cliff dwellings, consider a tour of Balcony House or Long House instead.
Another way to see Cliff Palace is from an overlook a little further away. If you park in the parking lot for Cliff Palace and walk down the path to where the tours begin, you’ll find a nice overlook of the site that can be enjoyed without having to purchase a ticket.
Another place to see Cliff Palace from an overlook is from the Sun Temple along the Mesa Top Loop.
Getting Here
From the park entrance, drive 20 miles along the park road to the all-way stop. You’ll pass by the Morefield Campground and the Far View Lodge along the way. At the all-way stop, take a left. Drive for about a mile before taking another left toward Cliff Palace (look for the signs). Now you’re on the Cliff Palace Loop, which is a 6-mile, one-way loop that takes you past Cliff Palace (park here) and Balcony House.
2. Sun Temple
Though perhaps not as awe-inspiring as some other sites in the park, Sun Temple is a fabulous stop if you’d like to learn further about a vital piece of the Native American culture here in Mesa Verde. Peek inside the windows of this important and sacred building for those who once inhabited this land — it is believed that many different communities (you can see some of them along the Mesa Top Loop road) gathered here to worship.
What You Need to Know
A short trail will take you all the way around the Sun Temple. As a bonus, at this stop, you can also access a wonderful overlook of Cliff Palace. It’s cool to be able to see it from across the canyon!
Getting Here
From the park entrance, drive 20 miles along the park road to the all-way stop. You’ll pass by the Morefield Campground and the Far View Lodge along the way. At the all-way stop, take a left and stay straight on this road to enter the Mesa Top Loop road. This is a 6-mile, one-way loop that takes you past many points of interest. The Sun Temple is near the very end of the loop.
3. Long House
Step into another world as you tour this phenomenal cliff dwelling! Though not as well-preserved, Long House rivals Cliff Palace in size but is often overlooked. Handprints, water gathering, and food storage areas are all evident as you climb up ladders and peek into the windows that make up the Long House cliff dwelling.
What You Need to Know
There is no better way to truly feel connected to the ancient inhabitants of Mesa Verde than to tour Long House. Not only are there extraordinary signs of what life was like for the Native Americans, but the tour length also gives you plenty of time to spend with a park ranger and learn some wonderful tidbits of information about the park.
Long House can only be accessed via a ranger-led tour, and tickets are required! This tour is longer than the other tours in the park, and it also requires more hiking. Plan on about 2.5 hours and 2.25 miles of hiking. The tour begins at the end of the Wetherill Mesa Road, so extra drive time should be factored in. This road isn’t very long, but it’s curvy, so you won’t get anywhere fast (no vehicles over 25 feet allowed)!
Getting Here
From the park entrance, drive approximately 15 miles to the Far View Lodge. Just after passing the Far View Lodge, look for the turn-off to the Wetherill Mesa Road on your right. Turn here (if you get to the Far View Terrace, you’ve gone too far). Travel another 12 miles to the end of the Wetherill Mesa Road. Your tour starts from the pavilion at the south end of the parking area.
4. Square Tower House
Standing tall at 28 feet, the Square Tower House is the tallest cliff dwelling in the park! After a short walk through the trees, the view opens up to this beautiful building below.
What You Need to Know
The Square Tower House is located along the Mesa Top Loop Scenic Drive. This drive is only 6 miles long but is packed with 12 sites to visit along the way, including various overlooks and dwellings. Square Tower House is one of the highlights, but other stops on this road are definitely worth your time.
When we were at Square Tower House this past visit, some of the rangers were working on a stabilization project. It was fun to see the preservation process! You can now take a ranger-led tour through this site if you want to get closer.
Getting Here
From the park entrance, drive 20 miles along the park road to the all-way stop. You’ll pass by the Morefield Campground and the Far View Lodge along the way. At the all-way stop, take a left and stay straight on this road to enter the Mesa Top Loop road. This is a 6-mile, one-way loop that takes you past many points of interest. The Square Tower House is near the beginning of the loop.
Click NEXT to see stops 5-8 (including the most adventurous and fun cliff dwelling tour you can take!)
Thank you so much for this! It’s tremendously helpful to know a bit more about how long the tours are, what the driving distances are, and what’s involved with each – great blog!
Thanks so much!
Hi. I thought I saw a rough 10 day itinerary on your site to hit the Colorado national parks and now I can’t seem to find it.
It’s near the bottom of this article: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/how-many-days-should-i-spend-in-rocky-mountain-national-park/
Thank you for all of your recommendations. I am looking to visit Mesa Verde beginning around the end of the second and beginning of the third week of May, 2023. I’m not sure what will be open then nor how many of the Ranger led tours will be available yet (do you know?). How much time do I need to see Mesa Verde? One day or 2 days (or more)?
We have been there around that time, and the ranger tours can be a little scarce. The tour schedules have been a little weird over the past few years because of COVID/closures. It looks like they are saying tours will start back up around May 14th in 2023, but I have no idea what they’ll actually have open at that time. 1 day is sufficient if you want to hit a tour in the morning and a tour/scenic drive in the afternoon. If you’re hoping to get to most of the ranger-led tours, you’ll want to give yourself another day.
Have a great time!
Thank you for all your wonderful information on the parks in our country – I am so grateful for your website in planning our family’s NP tour of the west/southwest this fall. I just discovered the Mesa Top Loop Road is closed for September (when we will be in the area) – do you think it is still worth a visit? Hoping to snag tickets for the tours, but I understand they go FAST.
Thanks in advance for your input!
Oh yeah, it’s for sure still worth going! I hope you’re able to get the tour tickets you want!
We are planning to visit Mesa Verde in September and will have a full day to do so. The sites currently listed as open for our timeframe are Cliff Palace, Long House, and Balcony House. I unfortunately believe my husband won’t fit through the tunnels at Balcony House so that leaves the other two. Would you suggest we try to tour both houses? It sounds like if we do that it will take most of our day and we may not have time for much else of the park. But, I’m afraid of being disappointed in touring just Cliff Palace since we can’t get as up close and personal there. Would love your thoughts! Thank you for such an informational post!
I would book both tours! In my opinion, the tours are the best part of Mesa Verde and the best use of your time!
what a GREAT share !!!
very helpful !!
gonna be there in September.
THANK YOU !!!
I’d like to start off by saying that I love all your information. I purchased your yellowstone itinerary last year and have followed you ever since. We’re visiting the grand canyon, zion, monument valley, antelope canyon, and mesa verde this year and I’m glad I checked your site for this one! I was however a little sad you didn’t throw in petroglyph trail in your list as you are known to go off the main attractions. Is this trail not as good as I’ve read?
It’s a great one! Because of the length, I decided to leave it out and stick to the best ruins since that’s what most people are hoping to see. But yes, if that appeals to you, definitely hike it!
How can we inquire if there have been any cancellations for tours today?
You’ll need to check the NPS website directly, or talk to a ranger when you get there!
According to the NPS site, there is no access to Cliff Palace, Balcony House, or the Soda Canyon Overlook Trail through the end of the month. The museum and visitor’s center are both closed too.
Is this still worth it?
If you can get tour tickets for any of the ruins, I think you could still have a great time. But people have been having a REALLY hard time getting tickets this year :(
We just tried to book a tour for early June. It was like buying concert tickets. Was ready to go at 7:59 and refreshed the page at 8:00am when tickets go on sale. They were immediately sold out. We weren’t able to get any guided tours for our trip :(
I am sorry to hear that :( Keeping checking back in case there are any cancellations!
Same here. Tried to book for late June 2021 starting at 7:55 and refreshing every couple seconds. By the time the tickets were available, all were sold except 11. Tried to buy one of those 11 and it kept telling me they were not available.
How quickly do we need to purchase tour tickets, do they sell out fast? Also, are there tickets available on 1st come, 1st serve to those who don’t plan a tour in advance?
They sell out quickly, so be sure to get on the site on the exact day they open up the tickets for your dates. It looks like all sales are being done online, no first-come, first-served.
Are there dwellings you can access without a guide or legal consequences?
There are some small/incomplete dwellings you can tour without a guide, but the large and impressive dwellings have to be visited with a guide only :)
We took the Balcony House tour this past September. It was amazing and the ranger that guided the tour played his hand made flute on the ledge by the Kiva. He was amazing to listen to and the sound was so beautiful and haunting it felt as if we were transported back in time. He later told me he had played with several orchestras in the US, Europe and Asia. We will be returning next year and seeing more of the park. I was able to get some great shots of several dwellings that are located across the valley from Balcony house. I don’t think they are open to the public but my zoom lens gave us a clear picture. Having a camera with a 50X zoom should be part of your kit for this great park.
That’s awesome! Sounds like a perfect experience in Mesa Verde. Thanks for sharing!
We’re planning a spring break trip and didn’t realize the tours aren’t available until later in the year. Are there ample things to do that don’t require a tour guide?
Yeah, there are some good options along the main road. You won’t be able to go into any of the large structures without a guide {unless you aren’t going until mid-April, at which point Cliff Palace will open up for tours}. But there are some smaller sites you can visit without a tour…many of them are on this list. Have fun!
We have plans for trip to Mesa Verde and Arches/Canyonland for August…beginning to think I was crazy for doing August. I have reservations to stay at Far View lodge and ticket for 700 Year Tour and hope to be able to get tickets for Cliff Palace and Long House 14 days out. Anyone have other suggestions for August trip?
We have been there many times & with grandchildren
That’s fantastic! It’s such a great place!