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Mesa Verde National ParkView of Spruce Tree House from above.
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Mesa Verde National Park
Far View Sites

Near the Far View Visitor Center (map), Self-Guided, No Fee Required

 
Pueblo site with kiva in foreground at Far View Sites
NPS PHOTO
Far View House at Far View Sites Complex
 
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Pueblo site at Far View Sites Complex
NPS PHOTO
Far View Sites Complex
Far View was one of the most densely populated parts of the mesa from A.D. 900 to about A.D. 1300. Nearly 50 villages have been identified within a half square mile area, and were home to hundreds of people. Today, several excavated and stabilized sites are linked by a trail system within a short walking distance. These surface sites include Far View House, Pipe Shrine House, Coyote Village, Far View Reservoir, Megalithic House, and Far View Tower.
 
Far View Sites in snow
NPS PHOTO
Far View Sites in winter
Ancestral Puebloans were living at Far View at least 200 years before they began building the more famous Mesa Verde cliff dwellings. Excavation also reveals that many Ancestral Puebloans chose to remain in their mesa top community well after many of their neighbors moved into the cliff alcoves.
View of the House of Many Windows cliff dwelling  

Did You Know?
Ninety percent of Mesa Verde’s cliff dwellings contain 10 rooms or less. One-third have only one or two rooms. This should help to put the more famous cliff dwellings of Cliff Palace (150 rooms), Long House (150 rooms), Spruce Tree House (130 rooms), and Balcony House (40 rooms) into perspective.

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Last Updated: July 26, 2007 at 17:46 EST