Hello friends, and welcome back to another day in our 6 States Road Trip. It truly has felt as if the last 7 days have flown by! So, I know, the last few will fly by as well. We last left off after we river rafted in Moab and then explored the beautiful, Canyonlands National Park. So much has happened on Day 7, and yet so much more is still to come.
We start the 8th day of our trip traveling the three hours, out of Utah and into our next state:
New State: Colorado
The beautiful state of Colorado is known for its landscape of mountains, forests, high plains, mesas, canyons, rivers, and desert land. With its picturesque mountains, Colorado becomes flooded with tourists, especially in the winter months when skiing is in season. While there are many reasons tourists flock to Colorado, Justin and I visit this state today with one singular mission. This mission is to experience the Mesa Verde National Park.
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is a World Heritage site and serves to preserve the cliff dwellings and archaeological sites of the Ancestral Pueblo People. Located in southwestern Colorado, the park is home to a large area of green mesas and canyons. Preservation efforts has served to protect 4,000 archaeological sites and over 600 cliff dwellings within the park. Not only does the park protect these ancestral grounds, but the park also serves to protect the heritage of 26 tribes. While preserving the heritage and integrity of the structures, what makes the park so unique is that it offers visitors a glimpse into the world of the ancestral Puebloan people.
The name Mesa Verde, in Spanish means ‘green table’, which is so fitting considering the mesmerizingly flat, and green landscape within the park. Located within the park, is also a great number of Mesas. A Mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill. Mesas stand distinctly from surrounding plains and is surrounded by steep slopes and sudden drop-offs. As it is in the name of the park, the word ‘Mesa’ carries the Spanish meaning of ‘table’ as is clear in their flat, table-like appearance.
The Mesa Verde National Park officially became a national park in 1906. The ground within the park was said to be the home of the Ancestral Puebloan people between 600 and 1300 AD. No one is quite sure why the tribes of the Puebloan people left their self-built homes in 1300 AD. However, many researchers speculate that the rise in crop failures, at the time, may have contributed to their departure. The self- sustained Puebloan people, in addition to building their own homes, called ‘dwellings’ into the Mesas, were most likely farmers. They grew beans, squash, and even corn. They supplemented their diets with meat gathered by hunters and the females of the tribe made high-quality baskets and pottery out of clay.
The glimpse that the park offers into the lives of these native peoples has helped them to preserve and protect the little that is left of these ancestral people.
For the purpose of preservation and visitor’s safety, most tours require reservations and rangers who lead the tours. The full tours season runs from May to October. Standard passes range between $15.00 - $30.00.
Mesa Verde is also a great place for walking and hiking. There are a number of trails available throughout the park.
Cliff Palace Tour
Distance: 0.25 miles (0.4 km)
Time needed: 45 minutes.
Type of Trail: Short Walk, down steep terrain.
Difficulty: Easy. (Limitations apply).
Elevation Change: 100 ft.
Cliff Palace is the most famous cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park, and for good reason, as it is also the largest known cliff dwelling in all of North America. It is believed that this cliff dwelling, built into the cliff walls by Puebloan people, was once painted a rainbow of bright colors. One can only wonder which berries and plants were used to make colors like blue and purple, and so many others. Unfortunately, today, the only color remaining is that of the sandstone, wooden beams, and mortar they used. This palace among the cliffs was once home to over 100 people.
Cliff Palace is thought to have been built between 1190 and 1280 CE.
The only way in which visitors can catch a glimpse of Cliff Palace is by booking a ranger-led tour. Each tour is limited to 50 people. The tour, which is around 45 minutes, takes visitors down steep steps, and ladders overlooking an even steeper cliff drop-off. Visitors are then able to walk up to the dwelling and take a look around.
However, in order to preserve the structures for many years to come, visitors are instructed to stay off of any dwelling.
The Cliff Palace itself is quite an astonishing sight. Here you will see steps, multi-level dwellings, and even homes built deeper into the overhanging cliff. One can only wonder what tools the Puebloan people used and how they came about such innovative designs. It is truly amazing to think that they had no bricks, no drywall, no real tools aside from rocks and their hunting equipment.
The Mesa Verde National Park does offer an option for a free, self-guided tour...
Step House Trail:
Distance: 1 mi.
Time needed: 45 minutes.
Type of Trail: A short walk down steep terrain.
Difficulty: Easy.
Elevation Change: 100 ft.
Open between Spring and Fall, the Step-House trail is a great option for visitors who do not want to book reservations or spend money on a tour. The trailhead is located next to the Wetherill Mesa kiosk.
This one-mile trail is steep, with a 100 ft. descent and ascent on a winding path. Your time in the site is luckily self-paced, so you can leisurely walk by the Step House.
There are indeed always rangers on duty to answer questions and help preserve the structures.
Wetherill Mesa
The sites on Wetherill Mesa provide for much quieter and slower paced visits. It is worthwhile to spend at least half a day on Wetherill Mesa. It usually takes 3 to 4 hours to visit the Wetherill sites but can easily take longer if someone wants to take advantage of all the walking and bicycle trails in the area. If you plan to also take a hiking tour of Long House, make sure to purchase a tour ticket before driving to Wetherill Mesa.
It would be so easy to spend a couple days at Mesa Verde. The park not only offers short round-trip walks, but also has loop trails available in order to hike from Mesa to Mesa, with some hikes stretching over 6 miles. The hikes mentioned above are only two out of many options for visitors wanting to take a glimpse back in time at the ancestral Puebloan people’s handywork.
We finished the 8th day of our road trip off with a long drive out of Colorado to a new state, but don’t worry, we are certainly not done with Colorado just yet!
-Come back tomorrow, to find out where we are now-
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