What to do in Mesa Verde National Park, CO

Activities, attractions and tours
Mesa Verde National Park featuring signage

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Top places to visit

1. Cliff Palace

Located within a massive sheltered sandstone alcove, Cliff Palace has been wonderfully preserved for over seven centuries. Visitors are often awed with the sheer size and scale of the dwelling, the largest in the national park. Explore the dwelling’s rooms and ceremonial sites, which give a sense of what life would have been like for its ancient inhabitants .
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Cliff Palace featuring a ruin and heritage architecture as well as a small group of people

2. Balcony House

Explore Balcony House, a 40-room cliff dwelling carved into a rock face in Mesa Verde National Park. The dwelling was most likely constructed during the 1200s by the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico. Enjoy an educational and adventurous tour of this fascinating ancient residence.
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Balcony House featuring heritage elements

3. Spruce Tree House

As the best-preserved cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park, and the largest after Cliff Palace and Long House, Spruce Tree House is a favorite to visit at any time of year. Built between A.D. 1211 and 1278 by the Ancestral Puebloan people of southwestern America, the impressive dwelling features about 130 rooms and eight ceremonial kiva chambers. Note that the large alcove housing the dwelling measures 216 feet (66 meters) wide and 89 feet (27 meters) deep at its greatest width and depth.
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Mesa Verde National Park showing a ruin and heritage elements

4. Cliff Canyon

Cliff Canyon is a spectacular natural site honeycombed with cave dwellings dating back to the 12th century. The Ancestral Puebloans carved all types of homes and rooms into the rock face, while continuing to farm on the plateau at the summit. Visit these spectacular cliffs in Mesa Verde National Park to piece together centuries of history.
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The Balcony House and the Cliff Palace show how 12th-century people carved out their lives within these awe-inspiring natural walls.

5. Park Point

In a national park filled with enthralling archaeological history and sensational natural views, Park Point literally stands tall above the rest. At an elevation of 8,572 feet (2,613 meters), Park Point is the highest spot in Mesa Verde National Park. Come here to admire far-reaching vistas, hike, picnic and learn about the importance of early wildfire detection.
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Park Point showing tranquil scenes and landscape views

6. Knife Edge Trail

Despite its forbidding name, Knife Edge Trail is accessible for all ages and fitness levels. Enjoy stunning views of the surrounding Montezuma Valley along the 2-mile-long (3-kilometer) trail. Spot local birds nesting in the brush off one side of the trail and soaring over the rocky drop-off on the other.
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Knife Edge Trail which includes tranquil scenes and landscape views

7. Long House

Filling a sandstone alcove that is 298 feet (91 meters) long, Long House is one of the most fascinating ancestral dwellings within the entire Mesa Verde National Park. The site features about 150 rooms and 21 kivas (ceremonial structures) and may have been inhabited by 175 people at one time.
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Long House which includes a ruin and heritage architecture

8. Soda Canyon Overlook Trail

For hikers of all levels, the Soda Canyon Overlook Trail is a great place to visit during your trip to Mesa Verde National Park. Follow the easy, family-friendly walk leading to great views of Balcony House and Soda Canyon’s other archaeological sites. The park has 5,000 known sites, including 600 cliff dwellings.
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For an easy hike with good views of several ruins in Mesa Verde National Park, choose this short stroll to the canyon edge.

Popular places to visit

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Cliff Palace

5/5(5 reviews)

Explore this immense 700-year-old cliff dwelling, the largest and most famous ancestral residence in the impressive Mesa Verde National Park.

Cliff Palace
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Balcony House

4.5/5(5 reviews)

Careful excavations have ensured the preservation of this historical cliff dwelling, which was built by the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians.

Balcony House
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Far View Sites

You can find out about the history of Mesa Verde National Park with a trip to Far View Sites. While in this family-friendly area, you can savour the top-notch restaurants.

Far View Sites
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Spruce Tree House

4.5/5(3 reviews)

If you have time to see only one of Mesa Verde National Park’s cliff dwellings, make it this beautifully preserved site, visible from the museum.

Spruce Tree House
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Park Point

Gaze at geological formations spread across four states and see a historic fire lookout at this panoramic place, the highest point in Mesa Verde National Park.

Park Point
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Knife Edge Trail

Covering a section of the original access road into Mesa Verde National Park, this short yet scenic trail features wonderful views of the surrounding valley.

Knife Edge Trail
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Long House

4.5/5(2 reviews)

Considered to be Mesa Verde National Park’s second-largest cliff dwelling, this ancient structure is part of a very rewarding guided tour.

Long House
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Soda Canyon Overlook Trail

For an easy hike with good views of several ruins in Mesa Verde National Park, choose this short stroll to the canyon edge.

Soda Canyon Overlook Trail
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Petroglyph Point Trail

5/5(1 review)

Get a close-up view of ruins and fascinating native rock art on this hiking path, as you learn about the cultural treasures of Mesa Verde National Park.

Petroglyph Point Trail