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Mesa Verde National Park
For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, the park protects the rich cultural heritage of 26 Pueblos and Tribes and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past. This World Heritage Site and International Dark Sky Park is home to over a thousand species, including several that live nowhere else on earth.
RecAreaDirections
Mesa Verde National Park is in Southwestern Colorado. The park entrance is along Highway 160, between the towns of of Cortez and Mancos, Colorado. (10 miles east of Cortez; 9 miles west of Mancos; and about 35 miles west of Durango, Colorado.)
Once you enter the park, the first view of a cliff dwelling is 21 miles (approximately 45 minutes) along a steep, narrow, and winding road.
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Permits info
Facilities
Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum Visitor Center
Located at milepost 20, the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum offers dioramas, artifacts, and exhibits that provide insight into the Ancestral Pueblo lifeways. A 25-minute orientation file 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.
Morefield Campground Campground
List of CampsitesMorefield Campground is located just four miles from the park entrance. The 267 campsites are located within a high grassy canyon filled with Gambel oak, native flowers, deer, and wild turkeys. A camp store offers registration, food, and camp supplies. Firewood, gasoline, showers, a coin-operated laundromat, and a kennel are located nearby. Each site has a picnic table, gravel tent pad, and fire pit/bbq grill. The campground is managed by park concessioner Aramark, and is open between spring and fall.
Entrance Station Kiosk Visitor Center
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 NATIONAL PARK Ticket Facility
Overview:
Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Today, the park protects over 4,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.Road work is expected during the spring and summer. Plan extra travel time within the park.
Natural Features:
testMesa Verde Visitor and Research Center Facility
Located at the park entrance, off Highway 160, this facility serves as the park’s primary facility for orienting visitors to opportunities within the park and surrounding area. Exhibits offer glimpses into the richness of Ancestral Pueblo culture and daily life.
