Mesa Verde National Park — Attraction in Cortez

We camped at Mesa Verde in June for 2 nights and loved it!

The park has an excellent visitor center (with restrooms and water) which is a great place to start. The rangers will give you maps and help you make the most of your time at the park.

Pro tip: Book your cave dwelling tours well in advance, they fill up fast!

We took two tours, Cliff Palace and Balcony House and loved them both. They lasted about an hour each and the rangers did their best to find our group shade while they talked and really brought the history to life.

Check out the details of each tour because the Balcony House involves climbing a 37ft ladder and crawling on hands and knees through a short tunnel. Exciting! But it is strenuous and wouldn't be suitable for those with very young children etc.

We also hiked the Petroglyph Trail which was mostly shady, had great views and petroglyphs too.

The museum is great to escape the heat in the afternoon and they also had a Junior Ranger table with activities for kids.

We arrived around 1pm and headed to the camp shop (where you register). You choose your own site, hang your tag on it and then let the store know which site you chose (it pays to arrive early). They were very helpful in suggesting shady sites and those that are good for kids (close to a rest room). We stayed in site 59 on the tent loop.

There is a gas station at the store too.

There are bigger sites for RVs and they reserve some spots for extra large trailers.

There are flushing toilets (running water in the women's, no water from the faucet in the men's). At the camp store there are 24hr free showers (joy) and a laundromat. $2.25 per load and around $1.50 for 30 mins of drying. Take cash for the change machine.

We were excited for our all you can eat pancakes at the Knife's Edge restaurant, but with new seasonal staff it took almost an hour to get our breakfast (there were only 4 tables and we ALL waited for around an hour). If you don't mind waiting, the food is great but if you have hungry kids or somewhere to be, I'd skip the restaurant.

We attended an evening program at the amphitheatre which was entertaining and informative. It was about the history of the park, wildlife and stars. We all enjoyed it, very family friendly.

We would highly recommend Mesa Verde and a unique and fascinating...

This was a stop on my families 17 state RV trip from the east coast. We are family of 5 (plus 1 dog) that traveled in a 25 ft Winnebago. When planning the trip, this is the location I was most uncertain about but I have to tell you, was one of the most beautiful and pleasantly surprising parts of the trip. We got in late to the RV park on the grounds. There is a gas station, dinner, and park store, but all of those were closed when we pulled in. The park office posts your stay details on the door for late checkin. For the "no hookups" campground, you can choose your own open spot. What you need to know about the campground and the park: The RV park is 6 miles up some very steep cliffs. The park and visitor center is almost another 20 miles up even more steep cliffs. The drive is not for the weak of heart, and after the campground, trailers are forbidden on the roads. The campground has some very strict generator times rules (we had to get creative since we made it in late) I suggest parking near one of the bathhouses that do have power and running water (I'm not saying bring a 100ft power cord... But you could?) There is almost no cell service in the campground (our wifi runs on cell towers) but since your between several mountains, don't plan on watching any TV or connecting to wifi... I know for many this is not a problem and you go here to get away from all of that- it's just a heads up!! Now for the park itself- absolutely beautiful and chalk full of history of the native peoples of that area. We got to see the museum with examples of jewelry and art, as well as the pre-cliff dwellings, and the multiple examples of cliff dwellings. You can schedule a hike down the valley to one of these sites with a guide. There is also another trail that runs a few miles down to petroglyphs. Make sure to bring water and snacks. Also, there are critters that bite. Be careful. It's a heck of a long way to get to the town where the closest medical treatment is. Again- this was the surprise park for us that really over met our expectations. If you get a chance to visit- I...

Updated 5/1/2024: This is my favorite National Park. Everyone should visit Mesa Verde. The NP service offers tours of the cliff dwellings that usually start mid-May and run through mid-to-late October. The tours require climbing of ladders and/or stone steps. The elevation is ~8,000 feet. I have seen people get vertigo, vomit, were dehydrated, and out of breath. Be aware. You are closer to the sun so you will burn easier and at this elevation dehydrate faster. The area is high desert. It is dry. The Visitor Center is before the entrance to the park and closes around 4. Entrance to the park is $30 for a 7-day pass, per vehicle. Credit/Debit only. The annual NP passes also work for the vehicle.

If you are doing a tour be aware you are 30 minutes minimum from the meeting spot for your tour when you are at the entrance. It is roughly 25 miles from the entrance to your tour destination. It is all mountain driving. 35-45 MPH speed limit. Curves. Lots of curves. On the way out lots of downhill. Use your lower gears/engine and not your brakes. Be aware of wild horses and deer. If you're lucky maybe a bear or a mountain lion. I have seen both in the park.

Hike every trail you can. Take every tour you can. It is a lot of work getting to this National Park and you should plan more time than you think you will need.

There is no playground. The dwellings and ruins are not to be climbed on. There is a picnic area at Spruce Tree. Food on top of the Mesa is expensive and mediocre. There are restrooms at a couple of the overlooks on your way up and on top of the Mesa at Far View, Spruce Tree, Cliff Palace Loop, and the Mesa Top Loop. Dogs are only allowed on pavement. The campground has a kennel but we haven't used it.

Mesa Verde is a place of wonder. I could take every tour and hike every hike multiple times and notice something different each time. Learn something new. The horses are super cool to come across. We came across lizards, a mountain lion, horses, a turkey, a bear,...