Mesa Verde National Park is located in the southeastern corner of Colorado and it’s the only National Park that preserves a cultural history.
Mesa Verde is home to some ADVENTURES. Seriously, I found myself climbing a 30 FOOT LADDER up to one of the cliff dwellings and having to squeeze through an 18 inch tunnel to get out. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined this happening in a National Park.
There are plenty of cliff dwellings that you can see from overlooks around the park. Check out Spruce Tree House, the Far Away Sites, Cliff Palace, and the sites along the Mesa Top Loop Road.
But there are also THREE cliff dwellings that you can tour with a park ranger during certain times of the year: Cliff Palace, Balcony House, and Square Tower House.
Square Tower House is in the backcountry of the park and only accessible on a ranger led hike from June through October at 8:30 AM on Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays.
Cliff Palace is the most popular tour to do. It’s not super strenuous but there are a few ladders and tight staircases you have to climb.
Balcony House is much more intense. You have to climb a 30 foot ladder to get up to it plus at one point there’s an 18 inch wide tunnel you have to climb through (it’s short though).