Mesa Verde NP: Cliff Palace & More

Today was the first of the two days we set aside for visiting Mesa Verde National Park (MVNP) … and what a day it was. Not only did the weather cooperate — at least until mid-afternoon — but we also got to visit the amazing 150-room dwelling known as the Cliff Palace.

MVNP was established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. According to the signage at the visitor center, it is the only national park in the US that was created specifically to “… preserve Ancestral Pueblo culture and prehistoric architecture. … the extraordinary record of these Pueblo people who made Mesa Verde their home for over 750 years, from AD550 to AD1300.”

While the Cliff Palace (accessible only with a ranger-assisted hike) was definitely the highlight of our day, we also explored other parts of the Chapin Mesa area.

Our explorations took us to the Spruce Tree House, where we knew we’d get little more than a distant view because this cliff dwelling is closed for restoration. I had hoped to hike down to the petroglyphs from there, but the gathering storm clouds and the blazing heat put the kibosh on those plans. Maybe next time.

We also stopped at the Far View Community … which predates the cliff dwellings. This was an Ancestral Puebloan farming community that supported dozens of families … starting around AD800. Despite the growing storm clouds, we headed off to walk the ¾-mile trail here. Alas, rain began to fall about halfway into our walk so we had to speed up our pace … not much dallying along the way.

Our second day at MVNP will be spent exploring the Weatherill Mesa area. We will have to wait until Saturday to do that, however, as heavy rain is in the forecast for the next couple of days.

P.S. Before you all ask! We skipped the Balcony House tour. My knees screamed that crawling through a 12-foot tunnel was going to be a no-no! Nor could I see my occasional bouts of vertigo allowing me to walk up the steps carved into the cliffside or climb a 32-foot ladder to get up to the top of the cliff.Read more