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Formerly home to families, farms, villages and cliff dwellings. Today, it offers opportunities for hiking, biking, and exploring the sites.
Ranger TJ Atsye
NPS/Spencer Burke
Mesa Top Loop Audio Tour:
A Pueblo Perspective on Mesa Verde
"Welcome to this special place. My name is TJ Atsye. I am a park ranger at Mesa Verde and am Laguna Pueblo, a direct descendant of the people who used to live here. Please join me as we follow the footsteps left behind by my Pueblo ancestors." Download the audio tour on the National Park Service app or as a podcast on your smart phone and listen in your car as you drive the 6-mile (10 km) Mesa Top Loop. Make sure to fully download the audio tour before beginning the drive, as there is little service along the Mesa Top Loop. You can also listen from home or school to explore Mesa Verde virtually. The entire audio tour lasts 43 minutes.
A podcast series exploring the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people, connecting the experiences of people from the past with people of today. To download, visit Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or SoundCloud.
The series is developed in partnership with KSJD Public Radio, Mesa Verde Museum Association, and Mesa Verde Country.
Thumbnail image of Cliff Palace with tour text and Indigenous Ranger Intern Satchel.
Explore Cliff Palace, North America's largest cliff dwelling, through an immersive online tour featuring perspectives from Indigenous ranger interns and a National Park Service archaeologist. With 150 stone rooms, this place is special and sacred, to our associated Pueblos, Nations, and Tribes while showing the impressive architecture of the Ancestral Pueblo people. Gain a deeper understanding of Mesa Verde's past and present through the lens of Pueblo peoples' experiences, including the challenges and adaptations brought about by climate change.
Thumbnail of Balcony House and text for the virtual tour with Ranger Drew.
Explore Balcony House from the comfort of your home with an engaging ranger-guided virtual tour. Navigate through the intricate passageways and delve into the remarkable architecture that defines this site. Learn the origin of the site's name, find out where the freshwater springs are located, marvel at the breathtaking panoramic views, and imagine what life was like here in the past.
Cliff Dwelling Tours
For those trying to decide which cliff dwelling to visit during a trip to Mesa Verde, check out these amazing videos. All have particular aspects that help transport you back over 700 years to when they were home to the Ancestral Pueblo people.
The forces of nature that formed the shelters containing Mesa Verde’s cliff dwellings are still active, and the alcove surrounding Spruce Tree House has become particularly unstable. Learn about the history and reasons behind the current Spruce Tree House closure.
Duration:
3 minutes, 39 seconds
Spruce Tree House can be seen from overlooks near the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. Rangers are available to answer questions. There are many other things to see and do while in the park including a visit to the Museum; visiting sites along the Mesa Top Loop with views of other cliff dwellings, including Cliff Palace; exploring Far View Sites; and hiking trails. In the late-spring, summer, and early-fall months, tours of other cliff dwellings such as Cliff Palace, Balcony House, Long House, and Step House are available. Please check thepark scheduleto see what is available at the time of your visit.
