Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

  Mesa Verde National Park is a pleasant site for a tour when you have to spend some time in the great outdoors. Summertime at Mesa Verde National Park arrives with high temperatures in the 80's. When the night sets in temperatures sink down into the 50's. Through the winter highs are in the 30's while Mesa Verde National Park nighttime low temperatures through the wintertime are in the 10's. Why not take a refreshing hike along the Frink Trail, and if you need a spot to stay Budget Host Inn Cortez is a brilliant choice.
It is very dry here at Mesa Verde
    National Park commonly; during the month of October you get the most rain around here; June meanwhile is the driest month. There's so much to do here at Mesa Verde National Park that you need to camp here for a while, Morfield Campground is a glorious site for that, and from Mesa
Verde National Park you acquire a nice sight of Lone Cone.
There is magnificent outdoors recreation at Mesa Verde National Park that you could take advantage of. Take a hike on the Whites Trail, and why not camp at Mancos since you're here at Mesa Verde National Park. A perfect nearby hotel is Echo Basin Dude And Guest Ranch, LLC, and Mesa Verde National Park is good enough to spend more than a day at, Mesa Verde RV Resort is a good local campground.
Yeah, come here to Mesa Verde National Park for a tremendous time. The Old Tourist Trail offers hiking
 
    National Park commonly; during the month of October you get the most rain around here; June meanwhile is the driest month. There's so much to do here at Mesa Verde National Park that you need to camp here for a while, Morfield Campground is a glorious site for that, and from Mesa
is Wild wild Rest. Looking for a great visit? Yucca House National Monument is pretty in the vicinity of Mesa Verde National Park; Econo Lodge Cortez is a good place to get some rest.
Have a glorious hiking adventure along the APW Trail; after a long day outdoors Holiday Inn Express Cortez, Co is a good place to spend a night or two. It's a popular place to travel to for the people of Mesa Verde National Park. This place, Mesa Verde National Park, it definitely has so much outdoors exciting stuff. Mesa Verde National Park is a site with many visitors
 
from Mesa Verde National Park, and there's fine hiking along the East Rim Trail.
The wonderful attractiveness of Mesa Verde National Park is there for your viewing wellbeing. There are scores of cool activities for everyone. Mesa Verde National Park is a pretty sector of wilderness that everyone enjoys.


Mesa Verde, Spanish for 'green table', offers an unparalleled opportunity to see and experience a unique cultural and physical landscape. The culture represented at Mesa Verde reflects more than 700 years of history. From approximately A.D. 600 through A.D. 1300 people lived and flourished in communities throughout the area, eventually building elaborate stone villages in the sheltered alcoves of the canyon walls. Today most people call these sheltered villages 'cliff dwellings'. The cliff dwellings represent the last 75 to 100 years of occupation at Mesa Verde. In the late 1200s within the span of one or two generations, they left their homes and moved away.

The archeological sites found in Mesa Verde are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. Mesa Verde National Park offers visitors a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people. Scientists study the ancient dwellings of Mesa Verde, in part, by making comparisons between the Ancestral Pueblo people and their contemporary indigenous descendants who still live in the Southwest today. Twenty-four Native American tribes in the southwest have an ancestral affiliation with the sites at Mesa Verde.

To fully enjoy Mesa Verde National Park, plan to spend a day or two exploring its world-class archeological sites as well as its beautiful landscape. The entrance to the park is 9 miles east of Cortez and 35 miles west of Durango in Southwestern Colorado on US Highway 160.

   

CONTACTS

Email - MEVE_General_Information@nps.gov

Fax- 970-529-4637

Write to
PO Box 8
Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330-0008

Phone
Headquarters - 970-529-4465
Visitor Information - 970-529-4465
Visitor Information(TDD) - 970-529-4633

TRAVEL BASICS

Operating Hours, Seasons
Open daily, year-round. Chapin Mesa Museum is open from 8AM to 6:30AM mid-April to mid-October; 8AM to 5PM the rest of the year. Far View Visitor Center is open from 8AM to 5PM mid-April to mid-October. Ranger-guided tours and self-guided tours are available in Spring, Summer, and Fall. Limited services are available in Winter.

Getting There
PLANE - The nearest airports are Cortez, Colorado, Durango, Colorado, and Farmington, New Mexico.

CAR - Mesa Verde National Park is in Southwestern Colorado. The Mesa Verde Headquarters is a one-hour drive from Cortez, Colorado, heading east on Highway 160 to the park turnoff, and a 1.5 hour drive from Durango, Colorado, heading west on Highway 160 to the park turnoff.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - The closest bus terminal is located in Durango, Colorado. Car rental is needed to get from the bus terminal to the park. The entrance to Mesa Verde is 35 miles from Durango.

Weather & Climate
Spring--variable, 30s and snow or 70s and sunny. Summer-- temperatures can reach the 90s. Afternoon thunderstorms in July and August. Fall--still warm during the day, cool nights. A possibility of snow in October. Winter--below freezing at night. As much as 3 to 4 feet of snow. Snowpacked and icy conditions.

Accessibility
Mesa Verde has limitations in access for people with vision, hearing, or mobility impairments. Persons with heart or respiratory ailments may have breathing problems in the thin air at park altitudes of up to 8,500 feet.

Getting Around
A vehicle is needed to see Mesa Verde.

FEES/PERMITS

Entrance Fee
PARK ENTRANCE FEE FOR PRIVATE VEHICLES
$10.00 for 7 Days

COMMERCIAL TOUR FEES FOR 1-6 PERSON VEHICLE CAPACITY (NOT INCLUDING DRIVER)
$25.00+Fee for Each Person for 7 Days
Fee good for 7 days only if tour maintains the same group of people for each re-entry.

COMMERCIAL TOUR FEES FOR 16-25 PERSON VEHICLE CAPACITY (NOT INCLUDING DRIVER)
$100.00 for 7 Days
Fee good for 7 days only if tour maintains the same group of people for each re-entry.

COMMERCIAL TOUR FEES FOR 26+ PERSON VEHICLE CAPACITY (NOT INCLUDING DRIVER)
$200.00 for 7 Days
Fee good for 7 days only if tour maintains the same group of people for each re-entry.

COMMERICAL TOUR FEES FOR 7-15 PERSON VEHICLE CAPACITY (NOT INCLUDING DRIVER)
$75.00 for 7 Days
Fee good for 7 days only if tour maintains the same group of people for each re-entry.

Activity Fee
RANGER-GUIDED TOUR FEE
$2.00 for One Time
Fee per person per ranger-guided tour of either Cliff Palace or Balcony House and Long House. Note that there are also free ranger-guided tours of other sites available.

CAMPING

Morefield Campground
There are over 400 standard camp sites available on a first-come, first-served basis. All other sites are open to the public. The campground rarely fills. Each site has a table, bench, and grill. Camping is open to tents and trailers. Standard sites are $19 per night. Sites with hook-ups are $25 per night. Restrooms, coin-operated showers, a laundry facility, gas station, and general store are found in Morefield Village.
For More Information on this campground please call 1-800-449-2288

LODGING

Far View Lodge
Located by Far View Visitor Center. A restaurant, cafeteria, and gift shop are located near the lodge.
For More Information on this lodging please call 1-800-449-2288

FACILITIES

Museums
CHAPIN MESA ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
Open All Year
Phone - 970-529-4631
Location - The museum is located on Chapin Mesa, 20 miles from the park entrance.
Closures - Only in extreme weather or fire conditions.
Special Programs - Self-guided trail of Spruce Tree House in spring, summer, and fall. Free ranger-guided tour of Spruce Tree House in winter, 3 times daily. Park video plays in auditorium every half-hour.
Exhibits - Museum shows the chronology of the Ancestral Puebloan culture.
Available Facilities - Water and restrooms are located near the museum. A snack bar, gift shop, and bookstore are located near the museum.

Ranger Stations
MOREFIELD RANGER STATION
Phone - 970-529-6005
Location - Located on the road to the campground.
Special Programs - An evening program is presented at the campground amphitheater at 9pm every evening from May 27 to September 3, 2001. Topics vary nightly.
Exhibits - Leave No Trace Exhibit.
Available Facilities - The ranger statioin offers tour ticket sales, book sales, and information. Located near the ranger station is a campground, grocery store, gas station, showers, restrooms, and laundry facilities.

Visitor Centers
FAR VIEW VISITOR CENTER
Phone - 970-529-5036
Location - Far View Visitor Center is located 15 miles from the park entrance.
Closures - Closed for Winter season, October 22, 2000 until mid-April 2001.
Special Programs - Periodic weekend cultural demonstrations are held in the Summer on balcony of Visitor Center. See Special Events Schedule at http://www.nps.gov/meve/mvnp/pages/special.htm for more details.
Exhibits - Historic Native American jewelry, pottery, and basket displays. Nordenskiold exhibit.
Available Facilities - Tickets for cliff dwelling tours can be purchased here. Restrooms located at Visitor Center. The lodge, restaurant, cafeteria, and gift shop are located near the Visitor Center.


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  Coordinates:
Latitude: 37.3
Longitude: -108.42

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Echo Basin Dude And Guest Ranch, LLC, Mancos
CLICK_ABOVE
8.5 miles away
Holiday Inn Express Cortez, Co, Cortez
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9.8 miles away
Budget Host Inn Cortez, Cortez
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9.8 miles away
Econo Lodge Cortez, Cortez
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10 miles away
CAREFREE INN SANDS, Cortez
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10.8 miles away
Dunton Hot Springs, Dolores
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11 miles away
Best Western Turquoise Inn & Suites, Cortez
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11.2 miles away
Cortez Super 8 Motel, Cortez
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11.3 miles away
National 9 Inn Sand Canyon, Cortez
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12 miles away
Cortez Travelodge, Cortez
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12.4 miles away
* Distances listed are direct linear distances, actual travel distance may be different.

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions. Pictures of park and text about park by the US National Park Service. Operating hours and fees are valid at the date of publishing and are subject to change, please contact park directly for current information.