Planning a trip to Mesa Verde National Park
Information
Contact Mesa Verde National Park, P.O. Box 8, Mesa Verde N.P., CO 81330 (tel. 970/529-4465; www.nps.gov/meve). Books on the park are available from the Mesa Verde Museum Association, P.O. Box 38, Mesa Verde, CO 81330 (tel. 800/305-6053 or 970/529-4445; www.mesaverde.org).
For area information, stop at the Colorado Welcome Center at Cortez, Cortez City Park, 928 E. Main St. (tel. 970/565-3414), open daily from 8am to 6pm in summer, with shorter hours the rest of the year and closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, and Easter. You can also contact the Mesa Verde Country Visitor Information Bureau, P.O. Box HH, Cortez, CO 81321 (tel. 800/253-1616 or 970/565-8227; www.mesaverdecountry.com), or the Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 968, Cortez, CO 81321 (tel. 970/565-3414; www.cortezchamber.org).
Visitor Centers
The Far View Visitor Center, 14 miles southwest of the park entrance, is the only place that sells tickets for ranger-guided hikes. It has an information desk, a display of American Indian art, and a small bookstore. It's open from early April to mid-October only, from 8am to 7pm daily at the height of summer, and closes at 5pm at the beginning and end of the season.
The staff at the small Morefield Ranger Station in Morefield Village also provides park information. It's open in summer only -- late May through early August -- from 5:30-8:30pm.
The Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum, open daily year-round (8am-6:30pm from early Apr to mid-Oct, until 5pm the rest of the year), has dioramas and interpretive displays on Pueblo culture, a ranger-staffed information desk, and a bookstore.
Fees
Admission to the park for up to 1 week for private vehicles is $15 from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend and $10 the rest of the year; rates for motorcyclists are $8 and $5, respectively. There are also fees for guided tours.
Special Regulations & Warnings
To protect the park's many archaeological sites, the Park Service has outlawed backcountry camping and off-trail hiking. It's also illegal to enter cliff dwellings without a ranger present. All artifacts and archaeological sites are protected by federal law.
The Wetherill Mesa Road cannot accommodate vehicles over 25 feet. Cyclists must have lights to pedal through the tunnel on the entrance road.
Although rare, occasionally squirrels in the park have been found to have the bubonic plague, which is transmitted by fleas. Visitors are advised to keep their distance from squirrels, to use insect repellent on their shoes, socks, and the lower sections of their pants, and to treat pets with flea repellent. Diagnosed early, the plague can be treated successfully.
Getting There
Mesa Verde National Park is in southwestern Colorado, just under 400 miles southwest of Denver and 252 miles northwest of Albuquerque. The park entrance is on U.S. 160, 10 miles east of the town of Cortez and 6 miles west of Mancos.
From Cortez, U.S. 491 (formerly U.S. 666) runs north to Monticello, Utah (and on to Salt Lake City), and south to Gallup, New Mexico (on I-40). U.S. 160 runs east through Durango to Walsenburg and I-25, and west through the Four Corners area into Arizona. At the east end of town, Colo. 145, which runs north to Telluride and Grand Junction, intersects U.S. 160.
The Nearest Airport -- Cortez Municipal Airport (tel. 970/565-7458; www.cityofcortez.com/government/airport), about 3 miles southwest of town off U.S. 491 and U.S. 160, is served by Great Lakes Airlines, which offers daily service between Cortez and Denver and has rental cars from Hertz and Budget.
Tips for Travelers with Pets
Human visitors to Mesa Verde National Park have plenty to do, but the U.S. Park Service is not very welcoming to our canine friends and prohibits them on all trails (the only exceptions are for service dogs). If you want to explore the park, you'll need to leave your dogs behind. Fortunately, the area has several kennels, including the Dog Hotel, 33350 Colo. 184, Mancos (tel. 970/882-5416; tomoverington@gmail.com), which is a well-run facility that also offers accommodations for cats. Appointments are necessary, and pet owners must have proof of current vaccinations. For those based in Cortez, pet boarding is available at Cortez Adobe Animal Hospital, 11314 Colo. 145, Cortez (tel. 970/565-4458; www.cortezadobe.vetsuite.com).
When to Go
With an average annual precipitation of just 18 inches, Mesa Verde remains dry despite being between 6,000 and 8,572 feet high. June is the driest month, with just over 1/2 inch of rain, and August is the wettest, with 2 inches. The park typically receives 80 inches of snow in a season. Summer temperatures tend to be about 10° cooler than in the nearby Montezuma Valley. Even during July, the hottest month, highs average a bearable 87°F (30°C), and nighttime lows dip into the mid-50s (lower teens Celsius). In winter, temperatures on the mesa can sometimes be 10° warmer than in the valley. This happens during calm, clear periods when cold air is trapped in the lowlands. Daytime highs on the mesa average in the low 40s (single digits Celsius) in December, January, and February.
Because winter storms often continue well into March, spring tends to come late. Warm autumns, however, are not uncommon. In April, average temperatures are 5° cooler than in October, with 60s (teens Celsius) for highs and 30s (single digits Celsius) for lows.
Avoiding the Crowds
With close to 600,000 visitors annually, Mesa Verde can seem packed at times. But park officials point out that the numbers are much lower just before and after the summer rush. June 15 to August 15 is the high summer visitation period. Visit during the first 2 weeks of June or the last 2 weeks of August, and you'll encounter fewer crowds.
Another way to beat the crowds is to make the 12-mile drive to Wetherill Mesa. In one recent year, only 5% of the park's visitors -- just over 30,000 people -- ventured to the mesa, which has some of the park's most interesting archaeological sites. The third, and perhaps best way to beat the crowds, is to hike one of the backcountry trails. As one former park ranger told us, "With our backcountry closed to camping, our hiking trails aren't used very much, and these are great ways for people to get away."
Getting Around
Mostly you will be driving your personal motor vehicle at Mesa Verde, though not if you want to see the archaeological sites on Wetherill Mesa. There used to be a tram but no longer. Bicyclists can access some trails on Wetherill Mesa, but others are for those on foot only. Always check signs at trailheads to make sure bicyles are permitted.
The main scenic drive in the park is the Mesa Top Loop Road. Each of the 12 stops along this 6-mile loop either overlooks cliff dwellings or is a short walk from mesa-top dwellings. The sites date from A.D. 675 to 1275 and include structures from the three Pueblo periods. By reading the information posted at each site, you can learn about the developments in architecture and the changes in Pueblo culture during those periods. Highlights include the Square Tower House Viewpoint, where binoculars are handy for spotting the myriad cliff dwellings in the canyon; Sun Point Pueblo, where a tunnel links a kiva -- a subterranean room used in ceremonies -- to a lookout tower; and the mysterious Sun Temple, a D-shaped structure that may have been a shrine or community gathering area.
On your way back to the Far View Visitor Center, consider stopping at the Far View Sites Complex, 1 mile south of the visitor center; six sites are within walking distance, including what seem to be the remains of an ancient reservoir.
