Self-Guided Tours

CHAPIN MESA

 

Spruce Tree House

Spruce Tree House
Best-Preserved Cliff Dwelling
(Early March to early November)
A 100ft (30m) descent and ascent on a winding path. Total walking distance is 1/2-mile (1km) round trip. Allow 45 minutes to one hour. Trail begins at the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. Rangers are on-site to answer questions.
•During the winter months (early November to early March), Spruce Tree House is available by ranger-guided tour only.

 

Mesa Top Loop Road Exhibit

Mesa Top Loop Road
Auto Tour - 700 Years of Mesa Verde History
A 6-mile (10km) driving tour with short, paved trails. Twelve easily-accessible sites, including surface dwellings and cliff dwelling overlooks. Highlights include Sun Point Overlook, Square Tower House, and views of Cliff Palace from Sun Point and Sun Temple stops. Overlooks also found on the 6-mile (10km) Cliff Palace Loop Road. Open 8 a.m. to sunset.

 

Petroglyph at Pipe Shrine House in Far View Sites

Far View Sites Complex
Five Mesa Top Villages & Far View Reservior
Far View House plus four other villages and a dry reservoir on a level 3/4-mile (1.2km) unpaved trail. Four miles (6.4km) north of the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. Open 8 a.m. to sunset.

 

Cedar Tree Tower

Cedar Tree Tower
Mesa Top Tower and Kiva
Ancestral Puebloan tower and kiva complex can be viewed from the road. Open 8 a.m. to sunset.

 

WETHERILL MESA (Open Memorial Day to Labor Day)

 

Step House

Step House
Pithouse, Petroglyphs and Cliff Dwelling
A 100ft (30m) descent and ascent on a winding path. Total walking distance, 3/4-mile (1.2km) round-trip. Allow 45 minutes to one hour. Trail begins near the Wetherill Mesa kiosk.

 

Badger House Trail Exhibit

Badger House Trail
Trail to Four Mesa Top Sites
The 2.5 mile (4km) trail to Badger House Community surface sites begins at Wetherill Mesa Kiosk. Combination gravel and paved trail. If you prefer, take the tram to or from the Badger House tram stop and shorten the trail to 1.5 miles.