Mesa Verde National Park

Late last night we arrived at the Mesa Verde National Park. Winding up the serpentine road towards the top of the mesa in complete darkness was beautiful and mysterious. The giant black cliffs reminded me of our arrival in the Badlands for the first time.

We were staying at the Far View Lodge inside the park and it was absolutely beautiful. Our room had a little balcony with a magnificent view including La Plata Mountains. The copper sink, stone floors, Navajo style décor all exuded charm and coziness. The room also provided us with a small refrigerator, a priceless accommodation during our road trip. The Far View area of the park is at the elevation of eight thousand feet, so it was breezy and pleasantly cool.


Mesa Verde National Park is designated to preserve the works of the Anasazi people. The people have lived at Mesa Verde since about 600AD, but something forced them to start building their homes in the cliffs of the canyon around 1200. By 1300 the mesa, including the cliff dwellings, was completely abandoned. While there are many theories on the subject, what caused these people to build homes in hard to get to cliffs and then abandon them only a couple generations later remains to be a mystery.




We started the day with a guided tour of the Cliff Palace. From the viewing platform at the top of the cliff, the structures looked like a miniature little town, little houses built one on top of another. A steep paved path snaked down the cliff. The early people had to use much more difficult approaches to their houses. Up close the houses looked unusually well built. It was hard to believe that they were over 700 years old. The ranger leading our group offered his favorite theories to explain the mysteries of the cliff dwellings. I was surprised to learn that the houses originally were colorful and decorated with various patterns and paintings. We were able to see some examples of the painting on the inside walls of the tower. The way out of the Cliff Palace required climbing a series of 10-foot ladders.

After a brief break we headed for our guided tour of the Balcony House. The Balcony House was much harder to access than the Cliff Palace, requiring everyone to climb a 32-foot ladder.

Before taking us on the tour, the ranger spent more then a minute warning the group of the dangers involved in taking the tour with a heart condition and even described someone dieing on this tour. The ladder was indeed a bit intimidating, and I think it was nice that the park goes out of its way to warn the visitors of the risk. On one hand, I might argue that the warning was excessive when comparing this tour to some other hikes we did in other National Parks. On the other hand, the area of the tour is at elevation of over 6000 feet which does make any moving, hiking and especially climbing a lot more difficult.

Aside: Zion National Park should have a ranger stationed at all times at the Scout’s Lookout in Zion National Park warning people of the risks involved in climbing the trail to Angel’s Landing, and specifically relating the details of fatal incidents.

The Balcony House seemed like it would be even harder to get to then the Cliff Palace. A very narrow tunnel on the one side where the original entrance was would make the “house” an easily defensible place. We had to crawl through the tunnel on our way out.

Nick and I spent the afternoon driving around the Chapin Mesa stopping to look at some late pithouses and Pueblo ruins. Unfortunately we could not make it to the Wetherill Mesa because the road there was closed for repairs. After relaxing in our fabulous room and enjoying the view from the balcony, we headed to the Metate Room Restaurant at the Far View Lodge for a nice quite dinner. Tomorrow we will be heading to Monument Valley.