Visit Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa-Verde-National-Park-Cliff-Dwellings

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When we decided to go to Durango, CO, I looked up what there was to do near there and saw that Mesa Verde National Park was only 40 minutes away – I was so excited since I have a goal to visit all the national parks. Jess, on the other hand, was not, haha. He doesn’t enjoy the high desert landscape views and didn’t know anything about the park so he talked me out of going – especially since we were traveling with our dogs and dogs aren’t usually welcome in national parks.

But, we decided to drive up to Telluride and along the way, saw a sign that Mesa Verde was only 5 miles away. Well, that sealed the deal – Jess knew there was no way he could skip it, haha! If you don’t already know, I have a National Park passport book and I get a park stamp every time I visit a new one. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend it. Mine isn’t available anymore, but this is a really nice one. So off to get a stamp we went!

What is there to See and Do in Mesa Verde National Park?

Mesa Verde protects the ancient communities and cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloan people that inhabited the area until around 1200 AD. It’s mind blowing to even think about how old these ruins are. You can tour the cliff dwellings, see preserved home sites and take in the incredible beauty of the area. The park protects nearly 5,000 sites!

They have ranger-led tours to the most well-preserved and popular cliff dwellings – you need to buy tickets in advance to do those tours. You can do that here. Pro tip: create an account on the reservation website in advance of trying to buy tickets because the tickets are time-released for purchase and having an account already saves time when trying to grab your tickets before they sell out. Or you can just drive the loop and stop at the overlooks and sites along the road, like we did.

Remember how I said Jess didn’t want to see the high desert landscape? Well, we were so wrong about what we thought it would look like. In the span of the loop drive, we saw so many varied types of vegetation and landscape. It was so lush and green and the different colors of the cliffs and stone against the bright blue sky was incredible.

It is absolutely astounding that people were able to carve their homes into these sheer cliffs – and you see some of the openings into the dwellings and wonder, not only how did they even climb up to the opening, but how did they fit through it? It’s mind-blowing.

And I don’t know about you, but whenever I see ruins like that, it makes my jaw drop at the tenacity, strength, determination, and ability of ancient people to create a home and life without any of the machinery and conveniences we have now. It’s so impressive and really something everyone should see at least once.

How Do You Get to Mesa Verde National Park?

Mesa Verde sits in the Southwest corner of Colorado not far from the Utah and New Mexico borders. It’s right off highway 160, near the towns of Mancos and Cortez. You get off the highway, turn West, and the park entrance is right there. I recommend you stop at the visitor’s station first - get your park journal stamp, grab a map, use the bathroom, etc. before heading out to drive the loop.

It costs $30 to enter May 1-October 31 and $20 during the other months. However, I recommend you grab an America the Beautiful Pass. It costs $80 a year so if you visit 2-3 parks in a year, it’s worth it. If you’re a veteran, you qualify for a Free Lifetime Pass - learn more here!

How Long Does it Take to Get Through Mesa Verde?

The short answer: You’ll want to allocate at least 3 hours.

The long answer: You may be wondering, like I was, what exactly is the situation with the park? I wasn’t sure if it was something you could just drive through or if you had to hike a bunch or what it was going to be like. So, wonder no more!

The loop through the park is six miles but you’ll need at least two hours if you don’t stop – it’s a windy road that can be steep in parts. You’ll drive through a really long, dark tunnel, right when you get into the park – it was actually pretty cool. We didn’t plan any tours, so we just drove the loop and stopped at the overlooks and historic sites. We were in the park about four hours or so. Here is a link to the park map. We did the Chapin Mesa road.

Is Mesa Verde dog-friendly?

If you are just driving through, like we were, yes. If you want to do the tours, no.

Dogs are only allowed on the paved roads, in the parking lots and the campground. As of the time of writing this, dogs are allowed on some trails on Wetherill Mesa road during spring, summer and fall. But I definitely recommend that you check the park site here before you go, as things change.

Before we went to the park, we had let our dogs run in the national forest outside Durango, so they were fine just riding in the car. We let them out to pee on the side of the road once and gave them plenty of water and treats.

We always carry our extra vehicle key fob, so when we got out to check out an overlook, we kept the truck running with the AC on full blast and locked the truck. This is our normal behavior and our dogs would rather be with us in the truck than left behind so they’re happy as clams and it works out well for us. If we’ll be longer than 20 minutes, we always check on them every 20 minutes at least.

There is a nearby kennel noted on the park website if you want to do one or two of the cliff tours, or if you aren’t able to/don’t feel comfortable leaving your dog in the truck with the AC on – never, ever, ever leave them in the vehicle if the AC isn’t on. Even when it feels cool to you, it can get hot fast. And be sure to check on them frequently even with the AC on because some vehicles lower AC output when the vehicle isn’t moving.

Where Can You Stay When Visiting Mesa Verde?

For lodging at Mesa Verde, if you want to stay at the park, you have two options – the Far View Lodge in the center of the park, or the Morefield Campground just four miles from the park entrance. Both are pet-friendly, yay! We stayed in Durango, just 40 minutes down the road and it was an easy, beautiful drive to get there. There are likely other places in the small towns near the park that have lodging available as well.

Is There Food Available at Mesa Verde National Park?

Yes, there are five restaurants in the park and the campground store has food available for purchase. Since we were just there for a few hours, we had snacks in the car with us so we didn’t need to purchase any food or snacks.

What Wildlife can you see at Mesa Verde?

Mule deer, elk, black bear, turkeys, coyotes, gray fox, mountain lines, owls and porcupines are all some of the larger wildlife you can spot at Mesa Verde.

Right after the tunnel, we spotted a small herd of wild horses – it was amazing! I did some research and the park calls them trespass horses from the Ute Indian Reservation. That doesn’t sound nearly as exciting as wild horses, haha! But they were so beautiful and fun to see and watch. We didn’t see any other major wildlife.

When is the Best Time to Visit Mesa Verde?

Spring or Fall. Summer is the busiest season – Mesa Verde sees about 600,000 visitors a year but the majority of those are in the summer months. We happened to be there the busiest week of the year, August 7th, when as many as 3,000 people visit per week, but it wasn’t bad at all.

The weather was pretty nice too – it’s typically in the mid-80’s in the summer months. The temperature fluctuated a bit from the 70s-80s and it rained off and on, sometimes it was downpouring! But, it didn’t last long and it was only in sections of the park.

It does snow there in the winter, but as is the case with most places, spring and fall will provide the best temps and less crowds, so if you can go during those times, that’s what’s recommended.

What Else is There to Do When Visiting Mesa Verde?

The Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is only 20 minutes Northwest and also has Ancestral Puebloan ruins. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is 3.5 hours Northeast of Mesa Verdo. The Four Corners Monument – where Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico all intersect and you can be in four states at one time! – is only an hour Southwest of Mesa Verde, and finally, Hovenweep National Monument, which also has ancient ruins, is an hour West of Mesa Verdo. So if you have a couple of days – or are road tripping from one of those directions, you can really get a lot of historical bang for your buck. Be sure to research them all in advance to check for closures and weather prior to going.

Also, if you’re visiting Durango, CO, Mesa Verde is a great day trip if you just want to explore the area. If this park wasn’t already on your must-visit list, I hope it is now. You won’t regret it!

Is Mesa Verda Worth Visiting?

Absolutely! Mesa Verde is an underrated gem of a national park! It wasn’t one we were looking forward to, necessarily, I was just going to get my stamp and be on my way. But we both left with a smile on our faces and talking about what a beautiful, impressive park it was and how glad we were that we stopped.

Looking for other Colorado national parks? Check out this guide for visiting Estes Park, the gateway to my favorite park - Rocky Mountain National Park.

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