2013 Special Backcountry Hikes
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Mesa Verde National Park offers visitors opportunities in 2013 to learn more about the park through special hikes and tours. Purchase tickets in advance, online at www.recreation.gov or by phoning the call center at 1-877-444-6777. All hikes are appropriate for well-prepared hikers. Children must be able to walk the extent of the trail on their own without difficulty. Your safety depends on your good judgment, adequate preparation, and constant attention. Wear sturdy shoes or boots, bring lunch, and plenty of water. Shade is limited, so bring a hat and sunscreen. Evaluate your physical condition when choosing a hike. 
Views of Oak Tree House and trail NPS Photo Oak Tree House Oak Tree House is a 60-room site built on two ledges and one of the largest cliff dwellings in the park. It is a well preserved but fragile site that features plastered walls and varied architectural styles. In addition to close up views of this site, you will have stunning views of Cliff Canyon, Cliff Palace, and Sun Temple. This 2-hour, 1-mile (1.6-km) round-trip hike is moderately strenuous on a narrow, unpaved, uneven trail, with steps carved into the sandstone, steep drop-offs, and two ladders (4- and 15-foot) (1.2- and 4.6-m). Total elevation change is 200 feet (61 m). Bring a minimum of 1/2 gallon (2 liters) of water per person. Please do not bring any type of snack or food or sugary drinks on this hike. Archeological sites are vulnerable to damage caused by rodents attracted to crumbs and dropped snacks.
May 28 to September 7 Reservations are available online at www.recreation.gov or by phoning the call center at 1-877-444-6777.
Views of Spring House and trail. NPS Photo Spring House As you hike to Spring House, you will be rewarded with views of alcove sites in Navajo and Wickiup Canyons. With 86 rooms and seven kivas, Spring House is the largest unexcavated cliff dwelling in the park. It is extremely fragile, so you will not enter the site, but will get excellent views of the cliff dwelling from a platform at the south end of the village. This 8-hour, 8-mile (12.9-km) round-trip hike is very strenuous along an unpaved, uneven trail with an elevation change of 1,500 feet (457 m) and includes steep drop-offs and switchbacks. Bring your own lunch and a minimum of one gallon (4 liters) of water per person. •Tour is limited to 10 people Reservations are available online at www.recreation.gov or by phoning the call center at 1-877-444-6777.
Views of Pinkley House NPS Photo Upper Navajo Canyon Hike Enjoy the autumn weather and fall color as you hike this historic trail, built in the 1930s by the Public Works Administration. You will view Pinkley House and other small alcove sites; and experience two natural communities as you descend from the drier mesa top to the mountain chaparral in the canyon bottom. This moderate 5-hour, 6-mile (9.6-km) round-trip hike is along an unpaved, uneven trail that descends 760 feet (232 m) into upper Navajo Canyon, with steep drop-offs and switchbacks. Bring snacks and a minimum of 1/2 gallon (2 liters) of water per person. September 5 to October 5 •Tour is limited to 14 people Reservations are available online at www.recreation.gov or by phoning the call center at 1-877-444-6777.
Views from the Wetherill Mesa Experience tour NPS Photo Wetherill Mesa Experience Expansive canyon views, spectacular glimpses of cliff dwellings, and Wetherill Mesa in the autumn will reward hikers on this moderate 4-hour*, 4-mile (6.4-km) round-trip hike. You will be introduced to the story of the Ancestral Pueblo people,the environment in which they lived, and the ecology of the pinyon-juniper woodland. The hike follows an old fire road and an unpaved trail that crosses Wetherill Mesa. Bring your own lunch and 1/2 gallon (2 liters) of water per person. *The entire Wetherill Mesa Experience, including four-hour hike AND driving time from the main park road to Wetherill Mesa (round-trip), is about six hours. September 6 to October 4 Reservations are available online at www.recreation.gov or by phoning the call center at 1-877-444-6777.
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Did You Know?
Descendants of Mesa Verde Ancestral Puebloans include the Hopi in Arizona, and the 19 Rio Grande pueblos of New Mexico: Taos, Picuris, Sandia, Isleta, San Juan, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Nambe, Tesuque, Jemez, Cochiti, Pojoaque, Santo Domingo, San Felipe, Santa Ana, Zia, Laguna, Acoma, and Zuni.