Day Trip to Mesa Verde: An Action-Packed Itinerary for First-Time Explorers
Catherine Xu
Looking to make the most of your day trip to Mesa Verde National Park?
I’m going to outline a jam-packed one day in Mesa Verde National Park itinerary based on my own journey during an adventurous 3 month road trip of the Rockies and the West Coast. At the end, I’ll also suggest other places to go nearby and a concise tourist guide with practical details.
Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado is definitely a bit off the beaten path. Having come at the tail-end of winter, the attractions I could visit were limited. Even then, I would say a full day in this park is enough for a first-timer.
Travel Tip! If you’re coming in late spring to fall, you’re going to want to join at least one of the ranger-led cliff-dwelling tours, so you may have to arrange your itinerary based on availability.
Sample One Day in Mesa Verde National Park Itinerary
I’ve summarized the park overview in one scroll, but continue reading for in-depth descriptions of each location and the activities below the itinerary.
Travel Route! There’s only one entrance to the park on Highway 160. From there, it’s quite a drive up the mesa, past a fork at Far View Lodge, dividing Wetherill Mesa from Mesa Top Loop and Cliff Palace Loop.
- After the visitor center, kickstart your day at Park Point Lookout, the highest point in the park.
- Take a ranger-guided tour of Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in North America.
- Alternative Options: Balcony House Tour. Or maybe you want to do both.
- Explore the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum and the Spruce Tree House, the third largest cliff dwelling.
- Take a hike on the moderately strenuous Petroglyph Point Trail for ancient rock carvings.
- Drive the Mesa Top Loop Road.
- If you still have time: Spend the late afternoon in Wetherill Mesa doing a self-guided tour of Step House or going for another guided tour of Long House.
Recommended lodging options for the night: Mesa Verde
- Luxury: Rustic Hideaway
- Mid-range: Hampton Inn Mesa Verde/Cortez Co
- Budget: Retro Inn at Mesa Verde
Travel Tip! Cliff Palace, Balcony House, and Long House can only be visited on a tour. You can reserve tickets here starting in early May. During the winter, they do not operate, and when they do, there are limitations on the number of people per group.
Quick Facts to Visiting Mesa Verde
Did you know that Mesa Verde National Park has nearly 5,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings? This UNESCO World Heritage Site in Colorado glimpses into the life of the Ancestral Puebloan people, who built thriving communities here for over 700 years.
| Quick Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Entrance Fee | $25 per vehicle (7-day pass) or $80 for a annual National Park Pass |
| Operating Hours | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (some areas may have different hours) |
| Visitor Centers | 1. Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum 2. Far View Visitor Center |
| Park Entrances | one main entrance near Cortez and Mancos, CO |
| Main Activities | Hiking, wildlife viewing, antiquities sightseeing |
| Number of Campgrounds | 1 (Morefield Campground) |
| Hotels | 1 (Far View Lodge) |
| Best Time to Visit | May to September |
| Nearest Cities | Cortez (9 miles), Mancos (8 miles) |
| Nearest Airports | Cortez Municipal Airport (10 miles), Durango-La Plata County Airport (55 miles) |
What to Do in Mesa Verde in One Day
Start your day at the Mesa Verde Visitor near the park entrance off Highway 160. This is your first stop after entering the park.
Kick off your adventure with a scenic drive up the winding road past the Visitor Center. The road gradually ascends to a spectacular expanse of mesas.
Pull over at Montezuma Valley Overlook, Park Point Lookout, and Geologic Overlook. At the Montezuma Valley Overlook, catch sight of the area the Ancestral Puebloans farmed. The Geologic Overlook has panoramas of the Mancos Valley and the distant mountain ranges.
Park Point Lookout
I’m especially calling out Park Point Lookout as it is the highest point in Mesa Verde National Park, at 8,572 feet. It takes around 20 minutes to get here from the park entrance, and you’ll get views of the Four Corners region.
The trail is only about half a mile round trip from the parking area and weaves through pinyon-juniper woodland before reaching the fire lookout tower, which doubles as a viewing platform.
From here, you’ll be treated to 360-degree vistas that stretch over Mesa Verde’s cliff dwellings, Montezuma Valley, the La Plata Mountains, and even as far as Shiprock in New Mexico on clear days.
Cliff Palace Tour
Next, head to Cliff Palace, the iconic and largest cliff dwelling in North America. The Ancestral Puebloan people built the palace. It is perched under the overhang of a cliff, showcasing the incredible architectural skills of the past. It was once home to over 100 people, housing around 150 rooms and 23 kivas (rooms used for rituals).
The palace has intricate stone walls, original multi-storied dwellings, and circular ceremonial pits.
To visit Cliff Palace, you must book a ranger-guided tour, which can be reserved online here. The tour lasts about one hour on a walk less than a quarter-mile round trip. There will be stairs and ladders that lead into the ancient city.
Balcony House Tour
If you plan your trip right, you may be able to do both Cliff Palace and Balcony House in one morning as they are quite close.
This cliff dwelling is the most adventurous tour in the park due to the 32-foot ladder you must climb and the 12-foot tunnel you need to crawl through.
Balcony House is smaller than Cliff Palace, with only 40 rooms. However, it was strategically built into a deep alcove for defensive purposes. The only entrance into the dwelling was through a 12-foot tunnel, which would have been easy to guard.
Remember, just like Cliff Palace, to visit Balcony House, you must book a ranger-guided tour, and tickets can be purchased online here.
Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum
The Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum has a collection of artifacts that showcase the lives of the Ancestral Puebloans. You can explore their pottery, jewelry, and tools, some of which date back over 1000 years!
You’ll see a detailed diorama showcasing a mini-version of a typical Puebloan village. Take in their architectural excellence, tight-knit community vibe, and impressive farming methods.
Spruce Tree House
Just outside the museum is the Spruce Tree House, the third-largest and best-preserved cliff dwelling in the park.
Built between AD 1211 and 1278, this super old site has approximately 130 rooms and 8 kivas (ceremonial rooms). At its peak, around 60 to 80 folks called this place home.
While Spruce Tree House isn’t open for interior tours due to rockfall concerns, you can still check out this impressive structure from the overlook. You can easily get to the short, paved trail starting from the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum.
Petroglyph Point Trail
Get your hiking boots ready for the Petroglyph Point Trail. This moderately strenuous hike is about 2.4 miles round trip, and the trailhead starts near the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum.
You’ll first descend about 100 feet into Spruce Tree Canyon. The path then curls around the mesa’s base, revealing numerous petroglyphs etched into the sandstone. After viewing the petroglyphs, the trail gradually ascends to the canyon’s rim before bringing you back to the starting point.
Travel Tip! You need to pick up a free permit at the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum before going on this trail.
Mesa Top Loop
If you don’t plan on going to the Wetherill Mesa area or have run out of time, the six-mile drive Mesa Top Loop may be your last stop in the park.
This drive introduces you to the evolution of the Ancestral Puebloans’ architecture, from pit houses to cliff dwellings. It’s a self-guided tour with plenty of pullovers and overlooks.
Start with the pit houses (AD 600 to 750) at the Mesa Top Sites. Here, you’ll find partially subterranean homes considered an early form of Puebloan architecture. Though rudimentary, these structures show the beginnings of design elements that would later evolve into more complex forms.
Further along, you’ll find the developed pueblos (AD 900 to 1100). These are above-ground houses built in rows around central plazas. A great example of this is the Square Tower House Overlook.
The drive’s highlight is the Sun Point View, where you can get panoramas of Cliff Palace, Sun Temple, and other cliff dwellings in the Cliff Canyon and Navajo Canyon.
Finally, the drive will take you to the Sun Temple, a unique D-shaped structure believed to be a ceremonial center.
Wetherill Mesa
If you still have time, head to Wetherill Mesa for more ancient sites and cliff dwellings. From Mesa Top Loop, it’s approximately a 12-mile, or 30-minute drive, to Wetherill Mesa.
The self-guided tour of Step House is a great option for those wanting to explore on their own, while you can sign up for another guided tour of Long House.
Step House
Step House is unique among Mesa Verde’s attractions as it showcases two distinctly different periods of Ancestral Puebloan habitation. This is the only dwelling area you can take a self-guided tour of.
One section of the dwelling resembles pit houses from the earlier Basketmaker III era. This area is highlighted by a partially underground dwelling with a well-preserved kiva, a ceremonial and social space. The more recent section of the dwelling features multi-storied, above-ground rooms typical of later Puebloan architecture.
The trail to Step House is approximately 100 feet in elevation and 0.8 miles round trip.
Long House Tour
Or if you’re up for another ranger-led tour, Long House is the second-largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde, boasting over 150 rooms and 21 kivas and once accommodating around 150 people.
Getting to Long House requires a bit more effort, as there’s a two-mile round-trip walk on a gravel path. Walking, you’ll pass ancient petroglyphs and remnants of the ancients’ farming terraces.
Once at Long House, you’ll be awed by the size and complexity of this cliff dwelling, with its multi-storied rooms, kivas, and open courtyards.
Note: As with Cliff Palace, access to Long House is only possible via a ranger-led tour. Tickets can be purchased online here.
Places to Visit with More Time
As with most national parks, there’s always more to see and do than one day may have time for. Here are a few other noteworthy sites in Mesa Verde National Park that you can check out if you have extra time on your hands:
- Cliff Canyon Overlook: Views of Balcony House reached via a short, paved trail from the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum.
- Nordenskiold Site No. 16: Located near the Cliff Palace Loop Road, this site features a small cliff dwelling and petroglyphs. It’s not open to the public but can be viewed from the road.
- Far View Sites: Glimpse the later Puebloan period (AD 900 to 1300), including farming terraces and dwellings once home to hundreds of people.
Day Trips from Mesa Verde National Park
If you plan to explore beyond Mesa Verde National Park, here are some intriguing sites worth a day trip.
- Hovenweep National Monument: features six prehistoric villages built along the canyon rims.
- Four Corners Monument: a geographical landmark where the boundaries of four states, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado, intersect. It’s the only place in the U.S. where you can stand in four states at once!
- Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad: A historic train ride departing from Durango, Colorado, winds through canyons in the remote San Juan National Forest.
- Shiprock: This iconic rock rises dramatically from the flat desert plain and is an important landmark in Navajo mythology.
Where to Stay Nearby
Best Hotels near Mesa Verde
| Budget Level | Hotel | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| High-end | Rustic Hideaway | – A hidden gem – Very convenient to visit Mesa Verde |
| Mid-range | Hampton Inn Mesa Verde/Cortez Co | – Great location, 10-min away from National Park – Nice swimming pool with hot water |
| Budget | Retro Inn at Mesa Verde | – Clean room, friendly staff, games room – Pet-friendly – Close to Mesa Verde |
Best Campgrounds around Mesa Verde
| Campground | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Morefield Campground | – 4.5 miles from the park entrance – Both single and group camping options – Plenty of sites available, so it rarely fills up |
| Ancient Cedars RV Park | – Closest campground to Mesa Verde National Park – Has premium RV sites, log cabin rentals, and tent sites |
| Mesa Verde RV Resort | – Has both tent and RV sites – Close to the park |
Is 1 Day Enough for Mesa Verde
For most of us, a single day is enough for Mesa Verde unless you are a die-hard history fan. You’ll most likely have time to visit all three loops in one full day, but not join all ranger-led tours or longer hikes.
If you’re deeply interested in the history and culture of the Puebloan people, you could easily spend two or even three days here.
Best Time To Visit
Mesa Verde National Park is open year-round, but you’ll be very limited in the winter months. Summer is the peak tourist season in Mesa Verde, with temperatures ranging from the 70s to the 90s. All the park facilities are open, and ranger-led tours are in full swing, but may be sold out. Be prepared for afternoon thunderstorms, which can happen during this season.
Winter to spring is the quietest season in Mesa Verde, with most facilities and sites closed due to snow, and trails can be muddy. It can also be freezing, with temperatures ranging from the mid-20s to 40s.
Getting here
Mesa Verde National Park, located in southwestern Colorado, is really in the middle of nowhere. The nearest airports are Four Corners Regional Airport (FMN) in Farmington, New Mexico, about 60 miles away, and Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO) in Durango, Colorado, approximately 35 miles away. Both airports offer car rental facilities.
If you’re driving, Mesa Verde National Park is approximately:
- Albuquerque, New Mexico: 5 hour drive, 275 miles via the US-550 N route
- Santa Fe, New Mexico: 4 hour drive, 250 miles via the US-84 W and US-160 W route
- Denver, Colorado: 8 – 8 hours drive, approximately 400 miles
Final Thoughts: Things to Do in Mesa Verde National Park
I hope you’ve found this guide for a one day visit to Mesa Verde National Park useful. If you’re journeying through this archaeological gem among national parks, perhaps you’re going to other destinations or road trip locales.
For more inspiration, don’t miss our other articles on Colorado and various other national parks.
Before you Close That Tab…Where to Next in Colorado?
I’ve vanlifed south to the north all of Colorado in the dead of winter to early spring. Let me tell you, it was cold, but turn on that buddy heater, and let’s hit the slopes. If you’re looking for more information on Colorado, check out these other destination itineraries.
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- Perfect One Day In Denver Itinerary For First-Timers
- Perfect One Day In Great Sand Dunes National Park Itinerary
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