Mesa Verde National Park should be on the quick list of must-do destinations for every family. Located near the Four Corners in southwest Colorado, it sits close to Durango and only 10 minutes from the adorable town of Cortez, CO.

20 years ago I would not have called Cortez adorable, but I found myself enchanted by the small town charm, amazingly fun mountain biking trails, and one of the best Mexican Restaurants I’ve ever been too!

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde NP plays host to the amazing remnants of the Ancestral Puebloans, the most stunning of these dwellings being among the sandstone cliffs. The more popular dwellings have names such as Cliff Palace, Spruce Tree House and Balcony House and all of these speak to your imaginations. Beaconing to your sense of wonder and adventure.

The visitor center is located just 2 minutes down the road to Mesa Verde and should be everyone’s first stop. From there you can get Jr. Ranger packets, tour tickets, maps and all your questions answered!

Warning: Mesa Verde is big and the roads are long and twisting. Visit the visitor’s center, come up with a plan, and then go all the way into the sights. It will take you roughly 45 minutes to get into the museum and main cliff dwellings. For this reason, I would suggest making one epic day of it, and do all the things at once.

Tours of the Cliff Dwellings

While short hikes allow you to visit pit houses located on top of the mesa or views of the cliff dwellings from afar, the best way to explore Mesa Verde is via the paid tours. The tours are not expensive, only $5 per person, however they do come with a minimum age requirement and require participants to climb up and down large wood ladders (some 3 stories tall) to access the cliff. For this reason the tours may not be appropriate for some children or adults.

Check at the visitor center to see which tours are available and their requirements at the time of your visit.

Must-Visit Sights

If you have one day and want to prioritize the best stops, head on out to Chapin Mesa. Stop first at the Museum to learn about the ancient people that walked these lands. From the Museum you can hike down to Spruce Tree House, the most accessible cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde.

Spruce Tree House is the only cliff dwelling that you can hike to without a paid tour, however it was closed due to storm damage when we were visiting.

From the museum, proceed on the drive out toward Sun Temple, stopping at the various pit houses and my favorite dwelling, Square Tower House. This will give you a great overview of various dwellings contained within Mesa Verde. All of this can easily be done in 1 day or even prior to an afternoon tour if you are good with your time.

Balcony House Tour

The only tour available when we visited was the Balcony House tour, and according to rangers, it is also the most adventurous! Good thing, cause I had promised the kids something epic!

The hike into the canyon began with a long descent down metal stairs built to accommodate the large crowds of people. We then traversed under the cliff to a double-wide three story tall ladder. The ladder was how we accessed the Balcony House Cliff Dwelling.

Along the way, our ranger taught us about seep springs, building techniques, and general theories as to the Native American culture, habits, and diet. We climbed through the cliff dwelling via main access points into the larger gathering spaces.

A kiva in the Balcony House Cliff Dwelling

We saw first hand the vast depth of the kivas, and exited via a 12″ wide tunnel! This is apparently the traditional access point used by the Native American who lived there.

After the tunnel, we climbed more ladders 🙂 and the ancient stairs the Ancestral Puebloans carved into the cliffside! Overall, I give the tour an enthusiastic 10/10!

Camping and Biking

Due to Mesa Verde’s proximity to Durango and the surrounding area, there is an endless list of recreational opportunities including rafting, hiking, swimming, climbing, and biking.

We chose to camp on some primitive sites located 10 minutes from the town of Cortex and 1 mile from the entrance to Mesa Verde. Sizes are limited and not every rig can get in. If you want more information, feel free to email me.

You can also choose to camp in the Morefield Campground within the park or in the many options closer to the town of Durango.

Mountain Biking Nearby

We took our spare minutes and hunted down some local mountain biking trails outside of Cortez. Phil’s World has green, blue and black trails that are fun and flowy, perfect for families and singles alike!

The word on the street is that the town of Dolores nearby also has amazing trails, so don’t forget your bike!