Self-Guided Tours

Chapin Mesa

 

Mesa Top Loop Road Exhibit

Mesa Top Loop Road

Auto Tour - 700 Years of Mesa Verde History
The Mesa Top Loop Road is a 6-mile (10 km) drive that is a tour through time. Along the road, you’ll find short, paved trails to view twelve ancestral sites, including surface sites and overlooks of cliff dwellings—the ancient homes and villages of the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived here for more than 700 years.

Highlights include Square Tower House Overlook, and views of Cliff Palace from Sun Point View and Sun Temple. The Mesa Top Loop Road is open daily, 8:00 am to sunset. During snow storms, the loop may briefly close until the road and walkways are cleared. Open daily 8:00 am to sunset.

A printed guide for Mesa Top Loop is available at Pithouse, the first stop of the tour. This guide supplements the information found on the outdoor exhibits and audio tour. Download the audio tour, Mesa Top Loop Drive: A Pueblo Perspective and listen along in your car or on your phone.

 

Petroglyph at Pipe Shrine House in Far View Sites

Far View Sites Complex
Five Mesa Top Villages & Far View Reservior
This mesa top community includes Far View House, four other villages, and a dry reservoir. In ancient times, the community was a place of modest homes interspersed with small farm fields. It was a place filled with people, vibrant life, and constant change. As you follow the woodland trail among the six sites, read the trailside signs to learn about Ancestral Pueblo life in the surrounding landscape between 900 to 1300 CE. The level, unpaved ¾-mile trail (1.2 km) is open 8:00 am to sunset. Parking is limited to vehicles under 25 feet.

In winter, limited parking is available just outside the Far View Sites gate and is generally open 8:00 am to sunset. This trail is often snow or ice covered and snowshoes may be necessary. To protect the sites and the trail, Far View may be closed to all traffic due to muddy or impassable conditions.

 

Spruce Tree House

Spruce Tree House
Best-Preserved Cliff Dwelling
You can enjoy wonderful views of Spruce Tree House from viewpoints near the Museum year-round.

Attention: Due to continued safety concerns related to rock fall, the site remains closed for the foreseeable future. Overlooks near the museum offer superb views of the cliff dwelling.

 

Cedar Tree Tower

Cedar Tree Tower
Mesa Top Tower and Kiva
An Ancestral Puebloan tower and kiva complex can be viewed from a small parking area. Nearby is the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) Farming Terrace Loop trail that leads you through a series of ancient check dams built by the Ancestral Pueblo people. Open 8:00 am to sunset.

 

Wetherill Mesa

Attention: Due to ongoing construction projects, Wetherill Mesa will be closed in 2024.

 

Step House

Step House
Pithouse, Petroglyphs and Cliff Dwelling
A 100 foot (30 m) descent and ascent on a winding path. Total walking distance is about one mile (1.6 km) round-trip. Allow 45 minutes to one hour. Trail begins near the Wetherill Mesa Kiosk. Step House is only open as staffing allows.

 

Badger House Trail Exhibit

Badger House Trail
Trail to Four Mesa Top Sites
The 2.25 mile (3.6 km) round-trip trail through Badger House Community surface sites begins at Wetherill Mesa Kiosk. Your walk through this area is a journey through 600 years of history. Combination graveled and paved trail. Available early May to late October.

 

 

Hiking Trails

Want to explore more of Mesa Verde National Park? There are a number of designated hiking trails ranging from one to eight miles in length. For details, visit our Hiking page. For winter hiking opportunities, go to our Winter Activities page.