Spring is a wonderful time to experience Mesa Verde National Park. Parts of the park begin to reopen as the winter chill thaws. Many cliff dwellings, including Cliff Palace and Spruce Tree House, can be seen from overlooks, but they cannot be toured at this time of year. The tour season begins May 14.
Winter conditions are possible through springtime. Watch the weather forecast and check for closures on Mesa Verde's Facebook page.
What's Open? What's Closed?
Open
Visitor & Research Center and bookstore (open daily 8:30 am-4 pm)
Morefield Campground Trails (Point Lookout, Knife Edge, and Prater Ridge)
Mesa Verde Historic Administrative District
Far View Sites (open daily 8 am-sunset; please see info on gate below)
Park Point (open daily 8 am-sunset; please see info on gate below)
Morefield Camgpround (primitive camping; full services open April 28)
Far View Terrace
Far View Lodge
Spruce Tree Terrace
Closed
Cliff Dwelling Tours (begin May 14)
Wetherill Mesa (opens mid-July)
Chapin Mesa Museum (closed for renovations; tentative opening April 1)
Spruce Tree House (closed due to danger from rockfall)
All activities depend on road, trail, and weather conditions. Please check with the ranger at the entrance gate for current conditions. We recommend good hiking boots or snow boots, warm layered clothing, a hat, gloves, snacks, sunglasses, and water.
Reservations are not needed to enter the park. There is no overnight camping or lodging in the park. Accommodations are available in nearby communities. Limited food service is available at the Far View Terrace. Check current hours of operation.
Plan Your Visit
Use the following suggestions to help plan your visit, or ask a park ranger for advice at the Visitor and Research Center.
Drive the Mesa Top Loop Road, a six-mile loop designed as an introduction to the history and culture of the Ancestral Pueblo people at Mesa Verde, and listen to the Mesa Top Loop audio tour (43 minutes). Make sure you download the tour before starting the drive; service is spotty in much of the park.
If you have a day:
Walk the .75-mile (1.2 km) trail through old-growth pinyon-juniper forest between the Far View Sites, a mesa-top farming community with five excavated villages and a reservoir. The gate to Far View will remain closed during snowy conditions. However, visitors are allowed to walk or snowshoe in to visit the Far View Sites during normal open hours, 8 am to sunset.
Visit Park Point, the highest point in the park at 8,427 feet (2,569 m), and enjoy dramatic 360° views of the entire Four Corners region. The gate to Park Point will remain closed during snowy conditions. However, visitors are allowed to walk or snowshoe in to visit Park Point.
Hike the upper Petroglyph Point Trail through old-growth pinyon-juniper woodlands. This out-and-back nature hike is 2.4 miles (3.9 km) roundtrip. The lower trail, including the petroglyph panel, is closed for winter. Expect icy and/or muddy trail conditions. Traction devices are recommended. Park trails sometimes close during snowy conditions. Please check with a ranger for information on current closures.
Snowshoe or cross-country ski in the park. Check current conditions. Ask at the Visitor Center or Entrance Station about borrowing snowshoes. Please check with a ranger for the most up-to-date information.
Explore more of Mesa Verde's nearly 30 miles of hiking trails. Depending on snow conditions, hiking trails may be closed, or open for snowshoe and cross-country ski use only. Check with a ranger for current conditions and closures.
