Mesa Verde National Park

We left the Grand Canyon on Saturday 2nd July and drove to the Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. It was a stunning drive, especially through Arizona. All dramatic canyons, mesas and red rock. Real wild west country. We stopped at a small town supermarket in Arizona for supplies. This was a bit like being on a movie set... The car-park was full of big pick-up trucks, and the supermarket was full of real-life Cowboys and Indians (of the Native American kind). As you can see from the pic below, they sure do like their Spam in these parts!

It was a big drive and we arrived at the Mesa Verde NP in the early evening. The park has several thousand archaeological sites, including 600 or so cave dwellings. It was the home of the Ancestral Pueblo people. Several of the cave dwellings can be toured so we bought tickets at the visitor centre when we arrived. We wanted to go through both the Balcony House and the Cliff Palace the following morning before driving to Telluride. Unfortunately all the morning tours to both venues were already sold out, and we didn't have time to do both in the afternoon and still arrive in Telluride at a reasonable time. We decided on a 1pm tour through the Balcony House. 

After purchasing the tour tickets (excellent value at $4 each for a 1 hour ranger-led tour) we drove through the park gates and paid our $15 park fees (valid for 7 days like all the national park passes). We then drove a further 15 miles within the park to our accommodation at Far View Lodge. The lodging certainly lived up to its name! From our private balcony we had extensive views. You can see into four states from the Mesa Verde: Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. We had actually driven past the Four Corners Monument on our way to the park, but didn't stop. It is the only place in the United States where you can stand in four different states.

Our room was lovely. Peaceful and quiet, and kitted out with handmade rustic furniture and Native American decor. Soon after we arrived we saw our very first chipmunk (we were to see LOTS more in Telluride...)

That night we had dinner in the park restaurant. I had got $50 credit when booking the room, and that easily paid for a burger and a beer each, with some to spare. There was a nice sunset to also enjoy.

Inspired by the view from our balcony, I decided to get up for the sunrise the following morning. I've got to admit, it has been a while since I last saw a sunrise!

While watching the sun come up I heard a rustling in a bush next to me and a raccoon nonchalantly walked out and causally sauntered off.

We spent that morning exploring the park. First up we got views of the Spruce Tree House.

Usually you are able to take a self-guided tour through the Spruce Tree House, but it had been closed for several months due to falling rocks.

Near the Spruce Tree House was the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum. This was excellent. It had loads of artifacts such as tools and pottery that had been discovered in the area, and it also had several large dioramas showing everyday life in the cave dwellings.

Next we took in views of the Cliff Palace which is the largest of the cave dwellings. It was really quite impressive.

By now it was time to meet for our tour of the Balcony House. This was a good one to choose because unlike some of the other dwellings, it can't be viewed without actually going into it. The park service describe the tour as follows:

 The one-hour Balcony House tour is one of the most intimate yet adventurous tours at Mesa Verde. A visit to Balcony House will challenge your fear of ladders, heights, and small spaces, and will give you the opportunity to explore the common areas of a mid-sized, 40-room dwelling.

The Balcony House tour requires visitors to descend a 100 foot staircase into the canyon; climb a 32 foot ladder; crawl through a 12 foot, 18 inches wide tunnel; and clamber up an additional 60 feet on ladders and stone steps.

So yes, this tour probably isn't suitable for those with acrophobia, claustrophobia or agoraphobia... There is a mock-up of the tunnel in the visitor centre so you can try it out and make sure you fit through!

 

Our tour was led by Ranger Ted who was very entertaining and knowledgeable.

Once we had descended a staircase into the canyon, we took a ladder up into the dwelling.

The tour was really interesting, learning about the history of the Ancestral Pueblo people, and how they managed to survive in their cliff homes.

They certainly built a village with a view!

Once the tour was finished, we exited the Balcony House via the tunnel...

And exposed ladders and stone staircases...

After our tour we used up the last of our park credit on a very good BBQ lunch. It is a little bit scary that one serving easily fed both Will and I for late lunch! We then headed out of the park, stopping at a viewpoint along the way.

Then it was time to hit the road for the 2 hour or so drive to Telluride. Another very cool National Park done and dusted.