Morefield Campground

• Morefield Campground is managed by park concessionaire, Aramark. Reservations are accepted but not required. Reservations are highly recommended for one of the 15, RV full hook-up sites. Reservations can be made online at www.visitmesaverde.com, by calling 1-800-449-2288, or at the Morefield Campground Store.
• The Morefield Campground is nestled within Morefield Canyon, which is a high, grassy canyon filled with Gambel Oak scrub, native flowers, deer, and wild turkeys. As you enter, there is a full-service village with a grocery and camp store, café, gas station, laundry, and showers. The campsites are situated on loop roads and each site contains a picnic table and grill. Several of the park’s best hikes leave from the campground and climb to spectacular views of surrounding valleys and mountains.

Balcony House Parking Area

The Balcony House Parking Area is where ranger-guided tours of Balcony House begin. Balcony House is a cliff dwelling with 38 rooms and 2 kivas.

• The Balcony House Parking Area is a long parking lot surrounded by pinyon pines and junipers. A wide sidewalk runs along the east side of the parking lot and provides views of Soda Canyon and the La Plata Mountains in the distance. Two shade shelters cover benches near two wayside exhibits and the trailhead for the ranger-guided tours. A vault toilet is located on the west side of the parking lot.

Cliff Canyon Overlook

Cliff Canyon Overlook affords a vast view of Cliff Canyon. The keen observer can pick out multiple cliff dwellings tucked into the side of the canyon.

• A paved path and stone steps lead down to the rocky Cliff Canyon Overlook. From the overlook, Cliff Canyon opens to the north and south. Junipers and pinyon pines dot the slopes of the canyon, and Fewkes Canyon joins Cliff Canyon across from the overlook. Sun Temple is perched on the mesa top across Cliff Canyon, and House of Many Windows, Site 634, Sun Point Cliff Dwelling, and Mummy House are tucked into the canyon walls. The top of Sleeping Ute Mountain peaks out in the distance.

Cliff Palace Loop Road

Cliff Palace Loop Road is a 6-mile (10-km) drive with overlooks of various cliff dwellings and access to ranger-guided tours at Cliff Palace and Balcony House.

• A 6-mile (10-km) drive along a paved road through the mesa-top pinyon-juniper forest. The drive goes through areas burned in the 2002 Long Mesa Fire and leads to overlooks of various cliff dwellings including Cliff Palace. Some overlooks are paved and accessible.

Cliff Palace Overlook

Cliff Palace Overlook is a magnificent view point for Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in the park. With at least 150 rooms and 21 kivas, Cliff Palace is an exceptionally large cliff dwelling and possibly an important gathering place as an administrative center with ceremonial use for many nearby Ancestral Pueblo villages.

• From the parking lot, a wide, paved trail gently descends approximately 100 yards to wide metal steps with handrails to the overlook. From the Cliff Palace Overlook there are spectacular canyon vistas and a view into Cliff Palace, the largest alcove site in Mesa Verde National Park. The meticulously shaped sandstone blocks of Cliff Palace exemplify the quality of craftsmanship and engineering noted by the labor-intensive terracing and the round symmetrical tower surrounded by multi-storied square rooms and circular subterranean rooms called kivas. Approximately 250 yards across the canyon from Cliff Palace, a small alcove site can be seen. This site, Kokopelli House, is just below the canyon rim west of Sun Temple, a large mesa top site.

Cliff Palace View

• An accessible and paved pathway leads from the Sun Temple parking lot to a wayside and overlook.

Far View Community Sites

The level, unpaved ¾-mile trail (1.2 km) leads you through a mesa top community includes Far View House, four other villages, and a dry reservoir. Long before and even after the famous cliff dwellings were built, this area was a well-established Ancestral Puebloan farming community supporting dozens of families. 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.

• Unroofed structures with sandstone masonry walls weathered through time are a glimpse into the once densely populated Far View Sites villages. The view from the parking area is only one of fifty villages within a half square mile area that was home to hundreds of people, homes, and farm fields from 900 to 1300 CE. Several excavated and stabilized sites are linked by a trail system within a level, ¾-mile unpaved walk. These sites include Far View House, Pipe Shrine House, Coyote Village, Far View Reservoir, Megalithic House, and Far View Tower. Wayside exhibits and a trail guide are available on site to help explore the daily lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people.

Far View Lodge

Far View Lodge, the only lodging inside of Mesa Verde National Park, sits on a high shoulder offering panoramic vistas and wildlife watching. The lodge was designed to reflect the true essence of Mesa Verde, with solitude all around you and freedom from the distraction of in-room TVs or cell phone service. Nothing fancy. Absolutely beautiful. Peaceful. A place to linger and appreciate why people lived here for seven centuries. The lodge is open seasonally.

• The Far View Lodge sits on a high shoulder of the cuesta with spectacular long-distance vistas reaching into three states. The southwestern-style Lodge is a cluster of thirteen buildings that include a central building for check-in, a gift shop, and fine dining. To preserve the solitude and tranquility of the setting, the 150 lodge rooms do not have television or phones. The location of Far View Lodge, fifteen miles within Mesa Verde National Park, makes it an ideal location for stargazing in this internationally designated dark sky park.

Farming Terrace Trail

Beginning and ending on the spur road to Cedar Tree Tower, this 0.5-mile (0.8 km) loop trail leads through a series of check dams built by the Ancestral Pueblo people over 800 years ago.

• Located along the road to Cedar Tree Tower, this moderate .5-mile loop dirt trail travels through a yucca and rabbitbrush covered grassland as it descends slightly over rocky steps into a small ravine. Along one sloping portion of the ravine, several restored and stabilized stone check dam walls are visible that the Ancestral Pueblo People built over 800 years ago to extend the range and water- and soil-capturing capabilities of their farmland. As the trail ascends back out of the ravine over large boulders, it returns close to the starting point of the trail as well as within sight of Cedar Tree Tower, an ancient 2-story stone masonry tower with an adjoining kiva and small underground room.

Fire Temple & New Fire House

• The overlook for Fire Temple & New Fire House is located from a road-side pullout along the Mesa Top Loop road. A short paved pathway leads to a wayside and viewpoint.

Hemenway House Overlook

Perched on a remote cliff in Soda Canyon, Hemenway House looks to fall off the small ledge on which it rests. Built in the 1200s, the cliff dwelling has 26 rooms and one kiva.

• A wide, paved sidewalk leads from the Hemenway House parking area to the paved overlook. The overlook opens to Soda Canyon, and Hemenway House is nestled into a deep cliff alcove across the way. Hemenway House has 26 rooms, made of hand-shaped sandstone rock and mud mortar, and one subterranean, circular room called a kiva. Pinyon pines and junipers cover the slopes of Soda Canyon and burned trees from the 2003 Moccasin Fire cover the top of the mesa. The La Plata Mountains rise beyond the mesa.

House of Many Windows Overlook

House of Many Windows Overlook opens up to wide views of Cliff Canyon, and its many cliff dwellings tucked into the canyon walls.

• Stone steps lead from the House of Many Windows parking area to the rocky overlook. The tan, sandstone walls of Cliff Canyon stretch out to the north and south. House of Many Windows sits perched in a cliff alcove across the canyon. From the overlook, the cliff dwelling looks squat and long, and it features four openings that are actually doorways, not windows. A few other cliff dwellings blend in with the walls of Cliff Canyon, and Sun Temple sits on the mesa across the canyon. The peak of Sleeping Ute Mountain is just visible over the mesa in the distance.

Introduction & Pithouse

Ancestral Pueblo Pithouse at Mesa Verde National Park

• A short paved walkway approaches a modern shade shelter which covers a pithouse home. The pathway with railings circles the pithouse which contains a fire pit, storage cysts, and foundation holes.

Knife Edge Trail

Named after the historic Knife Edge Road which was known for it's scenic value, this fairly level trail follows the old roadway and leads to a viewpoint that affords excellent views across Montezuma Valley.

• This trail begins at the northwest end of the Morefield Campground. The 2-mile round trip trail was a section of road built in 1911 and precariously skirted the top of a steep bluff overlooking the Montezuma Valley hundreds of feet below. In 1957 the National Park Service eliminated this dangerous narrow road by building a tunnel that is still used today for vehicle traffic. Gambel Oak, Pinyon Pine, Sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and a variety of wildflowers dominate the landscape. Majestic tan sandstone cliffs tower above the trail and are home to raptors like Golden Eagles and Peregrine Falcons.

Mesa Top Loop (Introduction)

• The Mesa Top Loop is a 6-mile drive through pinyon juniper forest. Along the loop are 12 sites of interest featuring ancestral sites and features built by the Ancestral Pueblo people. Each site has paved and accessible pathways leading to these points of interest.

Mesa Top Loop Road

The 6-mile (10 km) Mesa Top Loop takes you through 700 years of Ancestral Pueblo history. From remains of early pithouses and masonry villages to multi-storied cliff dwellings, archeological sites along this loop show how early Pueblo architecture evolved. Archeology and Pueblo oral histories shed light on what life may have been like for people who lived, worked, and raised families here for generations.

• This 6-mile paved loop road offers a scenic drive through old growth pinyon and juniper woodland through 700 years of architectural history. Along the road, there are short, easily-accessible paved trails to twelve archeological sites, which include the earliest pithouses to overlooks of cliff dwellings. Highlights include Square Tower House Overlook and views of Cliff Palace from Sun Point or Sun Temple. Download the audio tour, A Pueblo Perspective on Mesa Verde, and listen along as you explore ten stops along the loop. A trail guide and wayside exhibits are also available to enhance your experience.

Mesa Top Sites

• A paved pathway leads to a contemporary structure that protects the remains of a large ancestral village.

Mesa Verde National Park Entrance Station

• Two small entrance kiosks between lanes of the park entrance road.

Navajo Canyon View

• A paved walkway follows the rim of Navajo Canyon along a fenced rail. A 600-foot (182 m) deep canyon snakes to the south between towering sandstone walls. A cliff dwelling called Echo House is visible in a sandstone alcove on the opposite cliff, 2000 feet (600 m) across the canyon.

Oak Tree House

• Just off the road, a pullout and overlook provide a view of Oak Tree House, a well-preserved stone masonry-built cliff dwelling located under a large rock alcove.

Park Point

The highest elevation in the park at 8,572 feet (2,612 m) above sea level, Park Point is a breezy and cool place to picnic or take in the view. To the north, the 13,000 and 14,000-foot (4,000+ meters) peaks of the San Juan Mountains are visible. To the south, the high deserts of New Mexico stretch out across rocky canyons. To the West is Sleeping Ute Mountain and to the East lies the La Plata Mountains. 

• This short 0.2-mile paved trail ascends steeply from the parking lot to the Park Point Fire Tower and the highest point in Mesa Verde. At 8,752 feet (2,613m) above sea level, Park Point offers spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding area, a critical element for the personnel who staff the tower during fire season. On a clear day, local mountain ranges of the four states of the Colorado Plateau – Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico – help outline the landscape of the Ancestral Pueblo People

Petroglyph Point Trail

This moderately strenuous, 2.4-mile (3.9 km) Petroglyph Point Trail offers excellent views of Spruce and Navajo Canyons and takes you past a large petroglyph panel located 1.4 miles (2.3 km) south of the trailhead. The trail is narrow and rocky, with several steep drop-offs along the canyon wall on the way to the petroglyph panel. After the panel, you’ll scramble up a large stone staircase using hands and feet to climb to the top, then enjoy an easy return.

• This 2.4-mile trails follows the footsteps of Ancestral Pueblo people into the forested Spruce Canyon landscape and along a sometimes steep, rocky path back to the canyon’s rim. At one time, this path connected the community at Spruce Tree House with other outlying sites within the canyon and the rest of the Pueblo world. This foot-worn trail of the Ancestral Pueblo people was enhanced and widened by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s with uneven rock steps and trail improvements to reduce erosion. The trail travels through narrow rock crevices and along exposed canyon edges to an outstanding petroglyph panel at mile 1.4. The panel represents the written language of the people who inhabited and traveled through this canyon. More than thirty human and animal figures, spirals, and handprints cover an area of over 35 feet wide. The trail returns along the canyon rim passing just above Spruce Tree House, which is not visible from the trail.

Point Lookout Trail

The 2.2-mile (3.5 km) Point Lookout Trail switchbacks up the west side of the iconic Point Lookout, the geological formation that towers above the park entrance. The trail offers magnificent views of the San Juan and La Plata Mountains, as well as the Mancos and Montezuma Valleys.

• Beginning at the north end of the Morefield Campground Amphitheater parking lot, the out-and-back trail to Point Lookout covers 2.2 miles roundtrip. This rocky, steep trail switchbacks along a few cliff edges through Gambel Oak and montane forest to reach the west side of Point Lookout, a prominent layered sandstone feature seen for many miles outside of Mesa Verde. From the trail you can see the historic entrance road snaking its way onto the mesa. Once on top, Point Lookout offers views of the San Juan and La Plata Mountains to the West, as well as the Mancos Valley below.

Prater Ridge Trail

This trail traverses Prater Ridge which divides Prater and Morefield Canyons. The complete 7.8-mile (12.5 km) Prater Ridge Trail contains two loops. The South loop offers views into Prater Canyon, named for an early pioneer family. The North loop ascends for views into Montezuma Valley and the beautiful San Juan Mountains.

• Starting at the west end of the Morefield Campground, the trail begins with a moderate, one-mile, 10% climb to the top of the ridgeline with views of the Morefield Campground. Once on Prater Ridge, there are options of staying right toward the North Loop or taking the South Loop for a shorter hike. Both loops are available as an option and combined make a 7.8-mile hike. The trails have gentle ups and downs winding through a desert landscape and standing dead trees scorched by past fires. Many panoramic views of the surrounding canyons and mesas are visible from locations around each of the connected North and South loops. The trail returns along the same route.

Soda Canyon Overlook Trail

This easy, 1.2-mile (2 km) roundtrip trail meanders through the mesa top pinyon-juniper forest to three overlooks at the edge of Soda Canyon. Hikers are rewarded with views of Balcony House and several other cliff dwellings across the canyon. The canyon was named for the white, calcium carbonate deposits visible below the rim. These are the evaporative remains of seeps springs once used by the Ancestral Pueblo people.

• This easy, 1.2-mile out and back trail passes through an old-growth pinyon-juniper woodland. The trail remains flat with uneven stone steps over dry wash crossings and down to access viewpoints. The trail leads to three overlooks offering dramatic views of the park’s largest canyon and Balcony House, a medium sized two-story cliff dwelling with 38 rooms and two kivas. A viewing scope is available at one overlook to get a closer view of Balcony House.

Spruce Canyon Trail

The moderately strenuous, 2.4-mile (3.9 km) Spruce Canyon Trail offers an opportunity to explore the canyon bottoms of Mesa Verde and discover the plants and wildlife that live in this habitat. Starting from the top of Chapin Mesa and following the bottom of Spruce Canyon, this scenic trail winds through excellent wildlife habitat. A steep climb leads out of the canyon and then passes through the picnic area before returning to the museum. 

• The 2.4-mile Spruce Canyon trail begins at the Spruce Tree House Overlook near the Museum. A paved path descends into the canyon until it becomes dirt. At the split, hikers can go left to the Petroglyph Point Trail or stay right to explore Spruce Canyon. The trail continues on a long series of switchbacks crossing a deep wash 3 times via small wooden bridges. After a 700-ft descent, the bottom of the canyon offers the shade of Douglas Fir trees and the coolness and humidity of a natural wetland area. Due to the presence of water, the canyon attracts an abundance of birds and other wildlife. The trail climbs out of the canyon following long switchbacks with uneven stone steps to the top of the mesa. Once on top of the mesa, it is a short, paved walk to the museum traveling through historic park houses and a picnic area.

Spruce Tree House Overlook

Enjoy wonderful views of Spruce Tree House, the third largest and best preserved cliff dwelling in the park from across a narrow canyon.

• This 100-yard, paved trail starts to the right of the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum. Shaded by a few juniper trees and with two handrails along the way, the trail descends approximately 75 feet via several switchbacks to a large uneven sandstone outcropping. From there, Spruce Tree House, the third largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde, is viewable across a deep canyon filled with mature Gambel Oak and Douglas Fir trees. The latter, which were incorrectly called Douglas Spruce in the late 1800s, are what gave the dwelling its name. Spruce Tree House, with its beautiful two and three-story stone masonry walls, towers and open kivas, lies protected under the desert varnish-streaked sandstone archway of the alcove, making it the most well-preserved cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde. Approximately 95% of its original structure and plasters remain intact after 800+ years.

Square Tower House

Square Tower House Cliff Dwelling

• A paved, accessible, 100-yard pathway leads to an overlook at which Square Tower House is visible, a large stone built cliff dwelling with a 4-story structure.

Sun Point Pueblo

• Sun Point Pueblo is located a short work down a paved pathway. This site is covered by a shed roof to protect the site.

Sun Point View

• A paved pathway leads to an overlook of Fewkes and Cliff Canyon. From this viewpoint, multiple stone masonry-built cliff dwelling villages are visible, tucked beneath stone alcoves.

Sun Temple

• An accessible pathway leads from the parking lot to Sun Temple, a large stone-built Pueblo structure. The pathway is approximately 200 yards in length and is paved.

Entrance Station Kiosk

• Entrance Station Kiosk
• The entrance station kiosk is located approximately 1/2 from the entrance to the park and the visitor center. Our friendly rangers can provide you with a park map, information, Jr. Ranger Books and Badges and a passport stamp as well as collecting the entrance fee. Visitors arriving outside station hours may pay their fee directly through www.recreation.gov. Park brochures can be found at the signboard on the right.

Mesa Verde Museum

• Mesa Verde Museum
• Located at milepost 20, the Mesa Verde Mesa Museum offers exhibits and cultural objects that provide insight into the Ancestral Pueblo lifeways. An orientation film is shown on the hour and half-hour, providing an excellent overview of the history at Mesa Verde. A museum store, water, restrooms, café, gift shop, and post office are all located nearby. Just behind the museum is a stunning view of Spruce Tree House, the third largest and best-preserved cliff dwelling in the park.

Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center

• Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center
• Located at the park entrance, off Highway 160, this is the park’s primary facility for orienting visitors to opportunities within the park and surrounding area. Accessible exhibits explore the richness of Ancestral Pueblo culture and daily life. The Mesa Verde Museum Association Park Store offers books, trail guides, maps, and other items that you may find useful during or after your visit, and free Wi-Fi. Restrooms are located near the entrance to the visitor center.

• Visit Mesa Verde's Historic Administrative District
• Take a walk amid the early park structures that comprise the Historic Administrative District of Mesa Verde National Park. Established in 1987 the historic district comprises structures with architectural designs based in strong indigenous cultural traditions and blend into their environment. The Pueblo Revival style buildings have a unique place in the development of architecture in this country.

• Explore the Mesa Top Loop Road
• The 6-mile (10 km) Mesa Top Loop takes you through 700 years of Ancestral Pueblo history. From remains of early pithouses and masonry villages to multi-storied cliff dwellings, the archeological sites along this loop show how early Pueblo architecture evolved. Archeology and Pueblo oral histories shed light on what life may have been like for people who lived, worked, and raised families here for generations.

Mesa Top Loop Audio Tour

"Welcome to this special place. My name is TJ Atsye. I am a park ranger at Mesa Verde and am Laguna Pueblo, a direct descendant of the people who used to live here. Please join me as we follow the footsteps left behind by my Pueblo ancestors." Listen to the audio tour as you explore along the 6-mile (10 km) Mesa Top Loop. You can also listen from home or school to explore Mesa Verde virtually.