Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

About Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

For more than seven centuries, ancestral Pueblo people lived on the mesas and canyons of Mesa Verde. In their final generations here, they built villages of stone in alcoves beneath the cliffs, including Cliff Palace, with about 150 rooms and more than twenty kivas, the round chambers used for ceremony and community life. Their farms of corn, beans and squash covered the mesa tops, and they built deep pithouses long before the famous stone towns.

Around 1300 the people migrated south, and today twenty-six tribes, including the Hopi, Zuni and Rio Grande Pueblos, maintain ties to Mesa Verde. The park consults them on care of the site. Ranger led tours climb ladders into the dwellings, and visitors are asked not to touch walls or enter closed areas, honoring the homes of ancestors. Many descendants describe the site as a place where ancestors still dwell and must be respected.

What to see

• Cliff Palace
• Balcony House ladder tour
• Spruce Tree House view
• Mesa Top Loop kivas
• Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum

Visiting Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings: practical guide

Best time

May to October

Hours

Park open daily; tours seasonal

Entry

National park entry fee plus tour tickets

Dress code

Sturdy shoes and layers

Nearest airport

Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO), 85 km

Tips from experienced pilgrims

• Book cliff dwelling tours in advance
• Ladders and narrow passages are involved
• Allow a full day; roads are long and winding

Etiquette for visitors

Guidance drawn from Native American religions tradition. Always follow signs and local custodians.

• Follow tribal rules; many ceremonies prohibit photography, recording and sketching.
• Do not climb, remove objects from or leave offerings at sacred sites without permission.
• Do not applaud at ceremonial dances, which are prayers rather than performances.
• Respect closed areas and the sovereignty of tribal lands.
• Buy art directly from Native artists or tribally certified shops.
• Avoid wearing imitation regalia or headdresses.

Location map

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Frequently asked questions