10 Epic Mesa Verde Tours on a National Park Road Trip in Colorado

Have you ever considered taking a national park road trip from Denver to Mesa Verde in Colorado?

Hey, even if you don’t live in Colorado, plan to fly into Denver International Airport for your national park road trip and some epic Mesa Verde tours. Rent a car for your adventure and subsequent outdoor recreational activities and enjoy the amazing beauty that Colorado offers.

Stops to Make on Your National Park Road Trip from Denver to Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park is located in the southwestern corner of Colorado and is one of the most amazing places to visit in Colorado. It isn’t too far from Durango, Colorado and makes a great day trip.

Check Google Flights for the best prices.

Mesa Verde, one of the first designated UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Sites in ALL of the world, features the cliff dwellings and archeological heritage of the Ancestral Puebloan people (600 to 1300 CE).

The distance from Denver to Mesa Verde National Park by car is approximately seven hours. If you plan to spend time exploring the national park and taking some of the guided Mesa Verde tours, you’ll definitely want more than just one day for your visit.

Add to your adventure with stops in:

• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• Boulder
• Breckenridge
• Chimney Rock National Monument
• Colorado Springs
• Vallecito Trail

Some of these stops will be a bit of a detour (see the above map), but hey, isn’t that the fun of a road trip?

Where to Eat

There are a few options of places to eat when you visit Mesa Verde.

Metate Room: This is the only sit-down dining available within the park and is open only for dinner. The Metate Room is in the main building of Far View Lodge where you can also find a gift shop and a lounge.

Far View Terrace Cafe: This economical and kid-friendly option is located just down the street from Far View Lodge where you’ll find breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings served cafeteria style. If you have never tried a Navajo Taco before, you might want to try one here! You can even pick up some grab and go breakfast and lunch options.

Spruce Tree Terrace Cafe: Close to the Mesa Verde park headquarters and the Chapin Mesa Museum, this cafeteria offers a seasonal menu with appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts.

Far View Lounge: Above Far View Lodge, enjoy stunning views, watch a sporting event, and enjoy time with friends and family in a relaxing atmosphere. You’ll find typical pub fare—appetizers, snacks, cocktails, beer, and wine.

Knife Edge Cafe: Within Morefield Campground, head on over to the outdoor patio to enjoy some pancakes and other breakfast foods.

Morefield Campground Store: Check out the Campground Store for basic food, snacks, and beverages, located in Morefield Campground.

Pack a Picnic: Plan a picnic lunch to bring with you and eat along the way as you explore the park or after you’ve enjoyed one of the Mesa Verde tours. Be sure to bring a foldable cooler with you.

Where to Stay Before Your Mesa Verde Tours

Interested in immersing yourself in the atmosphere of the park? You have options for staying within the park as well as more options in the small towns, such as Cortez, outside the park. Note that it will take you about an hour to reach the top of the mesa from Cortez.

If you have the opportunity to stay within the park, I highly recommend it. You’ll have better access to the attractions and cliff dwellings.

If you plan to stay for more than one day, there is camping in Mesa Verde National Park as well as reservations available at the Far View Lodge.

Hotel

The lodge is conveniently located at the center of the park—about 15 miles from the entrance to the park. Far View features amazing views to the south over Mesa Verde and is available for reservations from spring to fall.

Camping in Mesa Verde National Park

“Morefield Campground is located just four miles from the park entrance. The 267 campsites are located within a high grassy canyon filled with Gambel oak, native flowers, deer, and wild turkeys. A camp store offers registration, food, and camp supplies. Firewood, gasoline, showers, a coin-operated laundromat, and a kennel are located nearby. Each site has a picnic table, gravel tent pad, and fire pit/BBQ grill.” ~ Check NPS.gov for reservations

Things to Pack for Mesa Verde Tours of the Dwellings

If you are planning a road trip from Denver to Mesa Verde, a few of the items you will want to add to your road trip packing list include:

• Sunscreen
• Hiking boots
• Bug spray
• Sunglasses
• Camelbak water reservoir and pack
• Hat or visor
• Camera
• Cell phone

Tips for Visiting Mesa Verde National Park

You might have guessed that Mesa Verde National Park sits on a mesa. The elevation of Mesa Verde is 8,572 feet at its highest point. As such, the temperatures get pretty hot in the summer months if you are planning outdoor recreational activities.

Some tips for your visit?

• Plan for an early start to avoid peak crowds
• Visit at a cooler time of the day
• Get an early start to maximize your time in the park
• Wear sunscreen

You’ll find the visitor center and park entrance kiosk outside the park; once you enter Mesa Verde National Park there is still a twenty-minute drive to reach the top of the mesa. Entrance requires an America the Beautiful Park Pass or a pass to Mesa Verde.

Mesa Verde Tours: Self-Guided

There are a number of Mesa Verde tours—GuideAlong self-guided tours are exceptional—that you can add to your itinerary, especially if you are only planning to spend one day in Mesa Verde National Park.

1. Cliff Palace

Along the Cliff Palace Loop Road, you’ll discover one of the largest cliff dwellings in North America. You can view the Cliff Palace from the Cliff Palace Overlook as well as from Sun Temple on the Mesa Top Loop.

2. Cliff Palace Loop Road

The 6-mile Cliff Palace Loop Road features cliff dwellings and overlooks as well as access to the Soda Canyon Overlook Trail.

3. Far View Sites

It is an easy ¾-mile walk among the pinyon-juniper forest on the mesa; the short walk connects a community of farming villages and an ancient reservoir. Far View features one large kiva (living area) surrounded by 30 to 40 rooms. Three smaller kivas were added at a later date.

4. Mesa Top Loop Road

Mesa Top Loop Road is also a 6-mile driving tour featuring 700 years of Ancestral Pueblo history, villages, cliff dwellings and overlooks.

5. Park Point

Park Point features a short walk to the highest point in the park at 8,572 feet. With spectacular views across the Four Corners Region, you’ll want to be sure to have your camera ready to go.

6. Spruce Tree House

Who comes to Mesa Verde without wanting to see the amazing cliff dwellings carved into the side of the mountain? Spruce Tree House Overlook offers a view of the park’s best-preserved cliff dwelling.

Mesa Verde Tours and Dwellings: Guided Tours

If you wish to see the Mesa Verde Dwellings up close and personal, then you’ll definitely want to reserve your space on one or more of the guided tours offered by the park service.

Take note of the physical requirements for these hikes as you will be climbing ladders and scaling the side of cliff using carved footholds.

Tickets and Reservations

Be sure to have a copy of your receipt to go on a tour. You can use a screenshot of your receipt or bring a paper copy. Ticketed tours with a ranger are required to enter the cliff dwellings. Tours run from mid May to the middle of October.

“Tour tickets can be purchased only on recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777. Tickets are available 14 days in advance, 8:00 am MT, on a rolling daily window. For example, tickets for May 17th will be available starting May 3rd at 8:00 am MT. Demand for tour tickets is high. We recommend reserving tickets as soon as they become available.” ~ Recreation.gov

Cliff Dwellings & Tours

Mesa Verde National Park is open year round; timed-entry reservations are required between May and October. Once in the park, tickets are available for ranger-led tours of a number of cliff dwellings.

7. Cliff Palace

Get up close and personal with Cliff Palace. As the largest cliff dwelling in North America, the architecture and design is amazing. It was built between 1190 and 1280 CE, and offered residence to over 100 people.

Getting to Cliff Palace requires you to climb down uneven stone steps and four ladders. Total walking distance is 1/4 mile.

8. Balcony House

Scaling ladders as the Ancient Puebloans must have done and then squeezing through a narrow tunnel on your hands and knees makes this a tour for adventurous souls. Some of these passages were used over 800 years ago!

Check the website for the tour specification and times.

9. Square Tower House

Square Tower House is the tallest standing structure in the park complete with original plaster, paint, roof, and rock art. Mesa Top Loop offers a great view of the tower from the overlook, but the ranger-led tour of Square Tower House is a glimpse into one of Mesa Verde’s most impressive cliff dwellings.

The hike to Square Tower House is a strenuous 90-minute, 1-mile round-trip hike. If you have a fear of heights, you may wish to view this dwelling from one of the overlooks. The path is unpaved and uneven and includes cliff drop-offs, switchbacks, and two ladders for you to climb down. Each tour participant must have the ability to climb over boulders and navigate steep trails unassisted.

10. Ranger-led vs Ranger Assisted Tours

Ranger-led tours are hour long tours through some of the ancestral dwellings. The ranger-assisted tours are timed-entry experiences that allow you to move through the cliff dwellings at your own pace. Rangers are stationed along your route to answer questions and facilitate your experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Final Thoughts on 10 Epic Mesa Verde Tours on a National Park Road Trip in Colorado

On our first visit to Mesa Verde National Park, Chris and I marveled at the cliff dwellings. I found myself wondering how the Puebloan people climbed down to their homes using small footholds and ladders? What about small children? Did these homes keep intruders out? You may wonder the same.

Be sure to sign up for one of the Mesa Verde tours to experience an up close and personal experience for yourself.

You will surely leave with a greater sense of their building skills, adaptability, methods of self-preservation, and a general sense of day to day life on the mesa.

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