Mesa Verde National Park

Summary

💵

$30

7-day fee

Historic Crowd Data

Avg. monthly visitors, 2015–2024 · National Park Service

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Light Moderate Busy Very Busy

Peak season is June–August, when around 53% of annual visitors arrive. For lighter crowds, aim for November–April.

Plan Your Visit

⚠️Storm & Elevation SafetyAfternoon storms▾

⛈️ Mesa Verde sits at 7,000–8,570 ft, and NPS's own safety guidance emphasizes two things above all else: dehydration/altitude (carry at least a gallon of water per person per day) and afternoon thunderstorms, common all summer and capable of approaching quickly — lightning safety should not be taken lightly. Cliff dwelling tours involve steep, uneven stone steps and ladders, and are not recommended for anyone with heart or respiratory conditions. Roads to Chapin Mesa are steep, narrow and winding, with icy shaded curves possible any time of year. Never approach wildlife — hantavirus, plague and rabies are all documented risks in the park. NPS safety info ↗

Quick Stats

Elevation Range6,900–8,572 ft

Established1906

UNESCO Designation1978

Highest Point (Park Point)8,572 ft

🪧Park Entrance & Fees1 entrance · $30▾

Only Entrance Usually Open

US-160, between Mancos & Cortez, CO

A single entrance road off US-160 — about 35 miles west of Durango. From the entrance station, it's another ~21 miles (roughly an hour) south along a steep, narrow, winding park road to reach Chapin Mesa and the cliff dwellings.

💡 Fill up on gas before entering — services inside the park are limited, and the drive to the mesa top is long.

NPS directions ↗

Visitor Center At Entrance

Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center

Right at the park entrance off US-160 — the place to buy cliff dwelling tour tickets in person, get current road/weather conditions, and pick up maps before the long drive in.

💡 Cliff dwelling tour tickets are also available online at Recreation.gov, 14 days in advance.

Visitor center hours ↗

Entry Fees · 7-day pass (peak: May 1–Oct 22)

Vehicle$30 / $20 off-peak

Motorcycle$25 / $15 off-peak

Individual / Foot / Bike$15

Mesa Verde Annual Pass$55/yr

America the Beautiful$80/yr

Off-peak: Oct 23–Apr 30 · No timed-entry required for general admission

🎟️Cliff Dwelling Tours$8/person▾

ℹ️ Entering the major cliff dwellings requires a ranger-guided tour ticket — $8.00 per person (ages 3+), sold on Recreation.gov or by phone (1-877-444-6777). Tickets release 14 days in advance at 8:00 AM MDT and fill up early. Tours run seasonally, roughly May–October.

Cliff Palace Ticket Required ▾

Capacity50 people/tour

Duration~45 minutes

Difficulty4 ladders, ~100 ft elevation change

NotesThe largest known cliff dwelling in North America

Balcony House Ticket Required ▾

Capacity35 people/tour

Duration~1 hour

Difficulty32-ft ladder + narrow tunnel crawl

NotesNPS's own "most adventurous" tour — not for the claustrophobic

Long House Ticket Required · Seasonal ▾

Capacity30 people/tour

Duration90 min · 2.25 mi round trip

DifficultyTwo 15-ft ladders

NotesWetherill Mesa · second-largest dwelling · open May 22–Oct 21, 2026

Step House No Ticket Needed ▾

AccessSelf-guided

Duration~1 mi round trip

NotesWetherill Mesa · ranger present when staffed · open May 22–Oct 21, 2026

Square Tower House Overlook Only ▾

AccessView from Mesa Top Loop Rd

NotesNo ticket needed for the overlook — a separate strenuous ranger tour with 3 ladders exists seasonally

Spruce Tree House Closed Since 2015 ▾

StatusClosed to visitors

ReasonOngoing rock fall danger; stabilization work in progress

NotesStill viewable year-round from an overlook near the Mesa Verde Museum

🏕Campground Availability267 sites▾

Morefield Campground Reservation Only ▾

Total Sites267

Breakdown235 dry tent/RV · 15 full-hookup RV · 17 group

Location~4 mi from park entrance, NOT near Chapin Mesa

SeasonSpring–fall (closed in winter)

AmenitiesCamp store, showers, coin laundry, gas nearby

Book on Recreation.gov ↗

Morefield is the park's only campground. It sits near the entrance, well before the ~20-mile drive further in to the cliff dwellings and museum — plan for a full day if you want to camp and tour dwellings on the same trip.

📍Landmarks & Museum4 stops▾

Chapin Mesa2 stops▾

Mesa Verde Museum8:30am–4:30pm

Ancestral Pueblo exhibits, orientation film, store & café

Spruce Tree House Overlook~10 min

Year-round view of the closed dwelling, adjacent to the museum

Park Point & Wetherill Mesa2 stops▾

Park Point8,572 ft

Highest point in the park · historic fire lookout tower · 360° Four Corners views

Wetherill MesaOpen May 22–Oct 21

Long House, Step House & Badger House Community · 12-mi winding access road, vehicles under 25 ft/8,000 lbs only

🥾Things to Do7 categories▾

Chapin Mesa Trails4 trails▾

Petroglyph Point TrailVery Challenging

Narrow, unmaintained loop past a large ancient petroglyph panel; hiked counterclockwise, with scrambling over exposed rock

2.4 mi loop · 227 ft

Spruce Canyon TrailStrenuous

Steep descent into Spruce Canyon and back up via Navajo Canyon, from the same trailhead as Petroglyph Point

2.4 mi RT · 558 ft

Farming Terrace TrailEasy

Short loop past ancient check-dam terraces once used to farm the canyon floor

0.5 mi loop · 150 ft

Far View Sites TrailEasy

Paved, level walk past a cluster of excavated mesa-top villages, 4 miles north of the museum

0.75 mi RT

Morefield Canyon Trails3 trails▾

Point Lookout TrailModerate

Climbs to a mesa-top overlook above Morefield Campground with sweeping canyon views

2.2 mi RT · 400 ft

Prater Ridge TrailStrenuous

Park's longest maintained trail, looping along a ridge above Morefield Canyon; a shorter north-only loop is also possible

7.8 mi loop (5.7 mi N. option) · 675 ft

Knife Edge TrailEasy

Follows the original 1914 park entrance road along a canyon-rim ledge to a sunset-view point; final stretch flagged for rockfall

2 mi RT · 60 ft

Wetherill Mesa Trails4 trails▾

Step House TrailModerate

Paved loop down to Step House, the one cliff dwelling that doesn't require a ticketed tour; open May 22–Oct 21 only

1 mi RT · 165 ft

Nordenskiöld Site No. 16 TrailModerate

Short walk to an excavated mesa-top pueblo; pets permitted, open May 22–Oct 21 only

2 mi RT · 95 ft

Badger House Community TrailModerate

Loop past four excavated sites spanning the shift from mesa-top farming to cliff dwellings; pets permitted, open May 22–Oct 21 only

2.25 mi RT · 111 ft

Long House LoopModerate

Combines the Long House tour route with additional mesa-top walking; pets permitted on the loop portion, open May 22–Oct 21 only

5 mi RT · 177 ft

Mesa Top Loop Road2 ways▾

Self-Guided DriveModerate

Six-mile loop past 12 excavated sites, from early pithouses to Sun Point's cross-canyon view of Cliff Palace

6 mi · 45–60 min

"A Pueblo Perspective" Audio TourFree download

Downloadable narrated guide covering ten stops along the loop, playable from a phone or car stereo

Ranger & Family Programs2 programs▾

Evening Ranger ProgramsSummer evenings

Ranger-led talks and presentations at the Morefield Campground Amphitheater

Junior Ranger ProgramAll ages · Free

Activity booklet from the Visitor Center; complete it to earn a Junior Ranger badge

Stargazing & Night Sky100th IDSP▾

⏳

Loading…

In 2021, Mesa Verde was certified as the 100th International Dark Sky Park in the world. High mesa-top elevation and distance from major cities make for excellent stargazing away from the Morefield Campground area lights — the mesa-top overlooks near Chapin Mesa and Park Point offer the darkest, most open views. NPS night sky info ↗

Bird WatchingTop 5 species▾

Golden Eagle

Soars over the mesa canyons

Peregrine Falcon

Nests on the sandstone cliffs

Pinyon Jay

Social flocks in pinyon-juniper

Canyon Wren

Echoing song among the alcoves

Common Raven

Year-round resident of the mesa

Park Contact Information

📞 Phone: (970) 529-4465 · Mailing Address: PO Box 8, Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330 · Official NPS contact page ↗