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Mesa Verde National Park Tours & Trips

1 mesa verde national park tour packages with 507 reviews.

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• Park History
• Archaeological Sites
• Balcony House
• Cliff Palace
• Spruce Tree House
• United Nations World Heritage
• Travel Tips
• Current Weather
• Getting Here
• Nature & Wildlife
• Photos & Videos
• Green Travel Tips
• Mesa Verde Lodging Experience
• Morefield Campground
• Mesa Verde Dining Experience
• Metate Room Restaurant
• Far View Terrace Cafe
• Far View Lounge
• Spruce Tree Terrace Cafe
• Mesa Verde Tour Experience
• 700 Years Tour
• Group Tours
• Private Tours
• Request for Proposal
• Sample Itineraries
• Cliff Dwellings
• Morefield Explorer Scavenger Hunt
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Visit of a Lifetime

Operating dates.

• May 1 - October 23

NPS Ranger Guided Tours into Cliff Palace will not start until May 6th. Tours before that will see Cliff Palace from the overlook. 

Travel back in time with an NAI-certified interpretive guide on a comfortable tour bus to see the complete picture of the Mesa Verde habitation for 700 years. The tour takes visitors through a chronological view of the lives and culture of the Ancestral Puebloan people by stopping at a variety of archeological sites. Each stop will illustrate how the people adapted both architecture and social structure to meet the changing needs of their society. The final experience is a walk down into Cliff Palace, the best known of all the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings with an NPS ranger.

• Tour Overview
• Tour Prices

Why should you take the 700 Years Tour?

Booking ahead you are guaranteed a spot on the Cliff Palace guided NPS Ranger tour. We will provide you with a comfortable air-conditioned bus ride which will led by our NAI certified guides. Let us do the driving so you have time to observe and ask questions.

A one hour tour of a cliff dwelling does not allow a visitor a chance to savor and value the total scope of the achievements of the Ancestral Puebloan people during the 700 years of habitation on the Mesa. On the bus tour they see not only views of some of the most impressive cliff dwellings in the park, but have the advantage of well-informed, engaging narrative and conversation with National Association for Interpretation guides. The four hour trip gives the visitor a personal connection to the information and with the guide, a chance to interact with other visitors and access to locals who have in depth knowledge of MVNP and the area in general.

There are over 4000 archaeological sites in the park, and the majority are not cliff dwellings. Your guide will explain the changes in architecture and social structure that impacted the pueblo people and how the lives of the ancient people are still relevant to us in modern times and how their descendants inhabit the area to this day. 

NOTE: Far View Terrace is located approximately 30 minutes from the park entrance. Please plan ahead when trying to make your tour departure time. 

In-Person Tour Reservations

If you are interested in reserving your tour in person please refer to the locations below.

Our 700 Years Tour is our most popular Mesa Verde Tour - so book early. And don't forget to bring your camera in order to take home more than just memories.

Park Entrance Fee

Tour reviews.

The 700 year tour was super due to the enthusiasm of the guide and ranger. I've been to Mesa Verde before but the 700 year tour made it the ultimate trip. - Guest Testimonial

The 700 year tour was exceptional beyond description and the guide was truly well informed in every way. - Guest Testimonial

Payment Policy

Full payment for tour will be processed at time of booking.

Cancel Policy

Tour seats must be canceled 72 hours prior to tour departure in order to receive a full refund. Cancelling within 72 hours of tour departure will forfeit the value of the tickets.

My Points Life

Travel Smarter & Better

Your Guide to the Mesa Verde National Park Tours in 2022

Mesa Verde is a U.S. National Park known for its Cliff Dwellings and ancient architecture that goes back years ago. So history and cultures buff will surely appreciate the park, and the best way to do that is to join a tour or two with the park ranger. 

Table of Contents

Mesa Verde Self-Guided Tours: Can You Tour Mesa Verde On Your Own?

Mesa verde tours.

• Cliff Palace
• Balcony House

How Long Does Each Tour Take?

• The Cliff Palace tour takes approximately 30 minutes. 
• The Balcony House  tour takes approximately 60 minutes. 
• The Long House tour takes approximately 60 minutes.
• Driving time . Mesa Verde National Park is huge; believe me, most of your time will be spent driving.  
• You are required to show up 15 mins earlier before each tour to go over the safety information. 
• There may be delays or any unforeseen circumstances during your tour or after. 
• Sometimes, the tour can go longer than anticipated . 
• 2 hours between the time you book this Cliff Palace tour and a Balcony House tour (i.e., 9:00 AM CP and 11:00 PM BH).
• 3 hours between the time you book this Cliff Palace tour and a Long House tour (i.e., 10:00 AM CP and 1:00 PM or later LH).
• 4 hours between the time you book this Long House tour and a Cliff Palace tour (i.e., 10:00 AM LH and a 2:00 PM or later CP). This will allow you a little extra time to enjoy the sites at Wetherill Mesa and drive to Cliff Palace.

Mesa Verde Tour Cost

• General Admission: $8
• Infant (age 2 and under): $1
• Cancellation Fee: $1 per ticket

How Difficult Is Each Tour?

It’s not so much about hiking to do each cliff-dwelling tour at Mesa Verde National Park. However, each tour requires climbing up and down to go through a cliff dwelling, and the effort can be anywhere from easy and moderate to difficult , depending on your physical conditions. Therefore, the tour is not for you if you have mobility issues or concerning physical health. So plan accordingly before purchasing any tour tickets. 

Best Cliff Dwelling Tours at Mesa Verde

• The Cliff Palace  tour is the easiest and fastest tour, and it’s also the most popular cliff dwelling picture you see when you google Mesa Verde National Park. You go through the tour listening to the ranger’s narrative and move through the cliff dwelling without touching anything. 
• The Balcony House tour requires a better fitness level and takes an hour to complete. It’s also the hardest tour to get tickets because they only offer 3 tours per day with a limited amount of tickets sold. It is one of the most adventurous tours in the park as you move through the cliff dwelling by claiming tall ladders, squeezing your way through a narrow tunnel, etc. See the photo below. This tour lets you touch the dwelling (but not all) as you move through the site. 
• The Long House  tour also takes an hour and is a little further away to drive to it. It’s the least popular Mesa Verde National Park tour and can also be challenging to move through the cliff dwelling. 

How to Book Mesa Verde Tours?

• First and foremost, ensure the cliff dwelling or road is not closed for the date you will visit the park for your tour. 
• You can view the alerts from the official Mesa Verde National Park website .
• Go to the Recreative Gov website and create an account if you do not have one. 
• Sit down and figure out what dates and times you want to do the tour and how many tickets you will need. You can see each Mesa tour hours here:
• All tour reservations can be booked online 14 days in advance at 8 AM Colorado or Mountain Standard Time (MST) . Therefore, 14 days before your desired tour date, set a reminder before 8 AM Colorado time, and get your credit card ready. 
• I suggest you perform a “mock” reservation on a sample date without paying for the reservation to familiarize yourself with the booking process for the tour tickets and quantities you want.
• Simply go to the Recreation Gov Mesa Verde Tour website to book. 
• Remember that the  Balcony House  tour can be sold out in 2-3 minutes, so be strategic and ready to book in front of your computer if this tour is high on your list. 

Best Places to Stay Near Mesa Verde National Park

• I suggest you stay in Cortez to better use your time because Mesa Verde National Park is huge, and you will spend most of your time driving to the park entrance and each cliff dwelling site from the park entrance. 
• Durango is a more interesting town with more attractions, especially its scenic train ride between Durango and Silverton , but it can be far from Mesa Verde. Lodging is also more expensive. 
• If you want to stay in the National Park, there’s a Far View Lodge  inside the park, and they accept pets for $25 per night. 
• Holiday Inn Express Mesa Verde-Cortez – pets are not allowed.
• Hampton Inn Mesa Verde/Cortez – pet fee is $50 per stay, up to 2 pets allowed. 
• Best Western Turquoise Inn & Suites – pet fee is $20 per night, up to 2 pets allowed. However, when I called them, they said $20 per stay, so please double-check. 
• Baymont by Wyndham Cortez – pet fee is $15 per stay, up to 2 pets allowed. 
• Also, some more budgeted  Choice Hotels  are available too. Each hotel charges a pet fee per night instead of per stay, which can add up. 

Are Dogs Allowed In Mesa Verde National Park?

• Never leave your pets in the car unattended. 
• Take turns watching your pet and checking out the cliff dwelling overlook if there are two of you. The Cliff Palace overlook, for example, is not far from the parking lot, so one of you can watch your pet while the other snap a quick photo of the Cliff Palace. A few overlooks along the Cliff Palace loop are just a few steps away from the parking space. 
• Take turns doing each Mesa Verde tour by allowing ample time between switching. 
• Walk the Long House Loop with your pets. The loop is 5-mile long, but you don’t have to do it all. The path is well paved, and some archaeological sites, including the Long House overlook, are where you can enjoy the views with your pets.
• There are also dog kennels near Mesa Verde if you are comfortable. 

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Is Mesa Verde Worth it Without a Tour? 11 Things to Do

While Mesa Verde National Park is a wonderful experience, occasionally ranger-guided tours sell out, the weather forces cancelations, or visitors have limitations and can’t hike. In these cases, people understandably wonder if Mesa Verde is still worth a visit even if they can’t tour the cliff dwellings.

Mesa Verde National Park is still worth a visit, even if you can’t go inside a cliff dwelling. The park has many different activities and amenities that you will enjoy, such as hiking, interpretive exhibits, drive tours, and more.

Here are 11 great ways to enjoy the park besides tours:

(note: All links in this article are to NPS webpages unless I say otherwise)

1. Visit the Museum & Visitor Center

The museum and visitor center at Mesa Verde should be your first stop, whether you are visiting for a few days or a few hours. The visitor center has information on tours, closures, ranger programs, and activities. It also has the usual exhibits and bookstores that you can find in most national parks.

You should also be sure to stop by the Chapin Mesa Museum , which is located some distance from the entrance and visitor center, in the Chapin Mesa area. The museum has exhibits and a film about native American lifestyles, culture, and the artifacts found in the area. You can learn about how the people moved from mesa-top villages to the cave dwellings that the park is famous for. If your kids are doing the junior ranger program, they may spend more time than you expect in the museum, filling information into their booklets. There are also hiking trails behind the museum.

2. Tour the Mesa Top Sites

Before the Puebloan people moved into the cliff alcoves to live, they built villages and farms on the mesa top. The ruins of buildings, irrigation systems, and ceremonial centers remain scattered across the area. You can visit these ruins and learn more about the ancestral Puebloan people by following the Mesa Top Loop . This short 6-mile road allows you to learn about centuries of Ancestral Puebloan history and take short trails to 12 different archeological sites such as pit houses, farming sites, and village ruins. Although this road is short, it can take several hours including all the stops and short hikes. Exactly how long it takes for your family can depend on how much time you spend reading signage and looking at the views.

3. Listen to an Audio Tour

Before you take the Mesa Top Loop, make sure that you have downloaded the audio tour so you can listen along while you drive. This will help keep everyone entertained, as this drive can take several hours if you stop at all the sites. It will also help you to learn more and enjoy the drive. The entire tour is 42 minutes long. (Remember you likely won’t have cell service inside the park, so download the tour before you get there.)

4. View Cliff Dwellings

Even if you cannot tour any cliff dwellings on your visit, you can still see them by stopping at the overlooks available around the park. Some of the best views of cliff dwellings are found along the Mesa Top Loop and the area around the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. You can also find overlooks along Weatherill Mesa Road. If you want to get in a short hike and see several cliff dwellings, the Soda Canyon Overlook Trail is a good option.

5. Get Your Junior Ranger Badge

While visiting the park, children (and adults!) can participate in the junior ranger program . This popular park program allows children to earn ranger badges for Mesa Verde by completing fun activities in a workbook as they explore and learn about the park. The booklets generally take a couple of hours to complete, and younger children have fewer activities to complete compared with older children and teens. Many children take considerable pride in their collection of Junior Ranger badges, so keep them safe by pinning them to a special vest or display at home.

If your kids want to get a head start on the program, you can print the booklets at home and they can work on them while you’re driving to the park. My kids love when I print the booklets ahead of time. They get to experience more of the park and they know more about it before they go, which makes it more fun and educational.

6. Watch for Wildlife

Mesa Verde, like most national parks, is a haven for wildlife. While you are visiting the park, keep your eyes out for the animals that live there, including many different birds, mule deer, coyotes, lizards, and squirrels. The park is also home to feral horses that live wild among the native animals.

Many children enjoy watching wildlife, especially if they have learned about the park’s animals ahead of their visit. Keeping a checklist of the wildlife you see can be a fun activity and can help encourage children to keep watching carefully to spot more animals.

7. Visit Step House

Step House is a cliff dwelling that can be toured without a guide or tickets. This is perhaps the best way to see inside a cliff dwelling if tours are sold out or unavailable. You can get to Step House by hiking down a steep one-mile trail and once you arrive you can look around at your own leisure. Expect to see a ranger on duty to protect the artifacts and buildings. This is a good time to ask any questions you have about the park and Step House.

Step House is located in the Weatherill area of the park which is a good distance from the area where the museum and visitor center are. If you have sufficient time, you can plan several things to do in the Weatherill Mesa area or dedicate one day to visiting this side of the park.

8. Take a Hike

Mesa Verde National Park is large, and much of the area is backcountry wilderness. However, even the parts of the park that don’t contain archeological sites are interesting. The park has dozens of trails that can be hiked, many of which are short and easy enough for children. A hike will allow you to enjoy the beautiful, mild weather and dry desert scenery of southwest Colorado. Many hikes will take you to interesting vantage points such as overviews of cliff dwellings, views of the valley, or petroglyphs.

If you haven’t tried it, I recommend using the AllTrails app to help you plan and locate great hikes. Here’s a link to the online version of the app .

9. Eat at a Restaurant

Enjoy a meal in the park at one of the cafes or the fine dining restaurant. Several casual eating areas are located around the park, including the Far View Terrace Cafe and the Far View Lounge, both located near the Far View Lodge, the Spruce Tree Terrace Cafe near the Museum, and the Knife Edge Cafe in the campground. The fine dining option, the Metate Room Restaurant, is located in the Far View Lodge and reservations are recommended.

Picnics are also a good option while you are exploring the park and you will find picnic areas and tables in many areas of the park.

10. Go Camping

You can camp in or near Mesa Verde National Park to experience more of the outdoors. The Morefield Campground in the park is open from April until around October and can accommodate both tents and RVs. The campground is conveniently close to the park entrance which makes it easier to access for RVs and easier to get out and pick up any supplies or groceries you may have forgotten. In addition, a gas station, a small grocery store, laundry and shower areas, and a gift shop are all located near the campground.

You can also find camping outside of the park at many private and public campgrounds. Here are some of the nearby campgrounds that you might want to consider:

• Ancient Cedars (Private)
• Mesa Verde RV Park (Private)
• Bright Star Campground (Private)
• Outback RV (Private)
• Cortez RV Journey (Private)
• Riverwood RV Resort (Private)
• Mancos State Park (Public)
• Echo Basin Cabin and RV Resort (Private)

There are also several dispersed camping areas near the park on BLM and National Forest land if that is more your style. Here is a blog post with some of these sites . If you do choose to camp inside the park, make sure you take advantage of the next item on our list!

11. Stargaze

Mesa Verde is a certified dark sky park . This means that the levels of light pollution in the park are very low, and more stars are visible to the naked eye than in most places. While you are visiting Mesa Verde, try to be in the park after dark at some point so you can experience a truly dark sky. If you are visiting during the summer, you will be able to see the Milky Way and the big dipper. Luckily, it is rarely cloudy in this part of the country, and your chances of being in the park on a clear night are high.

Read more about Mesa Verde in the rest of this series:

Visiting Mesa Verde National Park With Your Kids

The BEST Cliff Dwelling Tour for Your Kids

Do Grizzly Bears or Dangerous Animals Live in Mesa Verde?

Bonus: Visit the Canyons of the Ancients Museum

Located outside of the park north of the nearby town of Cortez, the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum is operated by the Bureau of Land Management and sits on the banks of the McPhee Reservoir. It is a bit out of the way depending on where you are staying, but it’s worth a drive. We found it to be interactive and perfect for families with children.

The entire four corners area is full of historic and cultural sites of the ancient peoples who lived here. The National Park Service, BLM, and the National Forest protect various sites outside of Mesa Verde itself and many of these are great places to go if you are looking for less-crowded and less-restored ruins and archeological sites.

Here are a few options to consider:

• Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
• Chimney Rock National Monument
• Hovenweep National Monument
• Edge of the Cedars State Park and Museum
• Aztec Ruins National Monument
• Yucca House National Monument

Michelle is a freelance writer and mother of eight. She loves to spend time exploring nature and hiking, kayaking, and traveling. After three years of fulltime travel, she wants to share her experience with other parents and encourage them to make outdoor time with their children a priority.

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MESA VERDE TOUR

• Location: Colorado, USA
• Audio Points: 100+
• Valid: No expiry
• Start: Cortez or Durango
• Direction: Round trip
• Download: ~58Mb

Tour Route Map

Audio preview.

Highlights Include

• Balcony House
• Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum
• Cliff Palace
• Montezuma Valley Overlook
• Park Point Overlook
• Spruce Tree House
• Square Tower House

What to Expect

Mesa Verde is truly unique place to experience as it was the first National Park to be created specifically to preserve important archeological and cultural sites, rather than just beautiful scenery and an unusual environment. 

Thousands of Ancestral Pueblo people lived on the “Green Table” for over 700 years building both on the mesa and in the surrounding cliffs.

The biggest draw to the park are the amazing cliff dwellings impossibly built into cliff alcoves. Many are able to be seen from roadside viewpoints across the valley, like Cliff Palace.  Others, like Step House require a short hike.

But if you’d like to get up close, many others like  Mug House, Long House Balcony House, Square Tower, offer ranger led assisted or guided hikes (by reservation). 

Mesa Verde is also certified as an International Dark Sky Preserve. If you have time,  return of a night and enjoy one of the darkest skies in the United States.

Suggested Start Location

Drive eastbound on 160 from Cortez, or westbound on 160 from Durango.

Suggested Time

Allow a full day to drive to Chapin and Wetherill Mesas and time to explore a house or two.

Driving Distance

There are approximately 35 miles of road in the park.   With only one entrance, all routes go in and out the same way.  

WHY IS MESA VERDE FAMOUS?

Mesa Verde National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a wild landscape of deep canyons and expansive vistas where the Ancestral Puebloan people built thriving communities for over 700 years.

With over 5,000 Ancestral Puebloan sites, including 600 cliff dwellings, it’s the largest archaeological preserve in the United States and offers an incredible spectacular window into the past. Today the park is best known for cliff dwelling structures such as Cliff Palace which is believed to be the largest in North America.

IS MESA VERDE WORTH VISITING?

Mesa Verde National Park is one of only two dozen UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States, and its ancestral cliff dwellings are some of the best preserved in the country. 

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU NEED IN MESA VERDE?

Most visitors will want one full day in Mesa Verde National Park for sightseeing and hiking. Two days is ideal so that you can see both the Wetherill and Chapin Mesa sites as well as enjoy one of Mesa Verde’s spectacular hiking trails. 

CAN YOU GO INTO THE CLIFF DWELLINGS AT MESA VERDE?

Most cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park can be only entered on a ticketed tour with a ranger, including Cliff Palace, and usually operate from May to October. All of these tours must be booked in advance on recreation.gov and involve strenuous physical activity.

Step House on Wetherill Mesa is a free, self-guided cliff dwelling that’s open between spring and fall and accessible via a steep one-mile hike.

Trip Planning

Construction projects affecting roads & reservations.

The Wetherill Mesa area will remain closed through the 2024 season for construction. Check the National Park Service website for updates.

Most cliff dwellings can be entered only on a ticketed tour with a ranger, and must be booked in advance. Tickets are released 14 days prior, and can be booked online on the recreation.gov website .

Mesa Verde National Park Trip Planner

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Alerts in effect, a sacred place.

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 27 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.

Information on the park entrance fee, Mesa Verde Annual Pass, and America the Beautiful passes. Learn how to purchase online!

Fire, weather, construction, and emergencies can change conditions around the park at any time. Click this link for closures and more.

To enter all cliff dwellings you must have a reservation on a ranger-led tour. Learn more about our tours here.

As the seasons change so do many of the operating hours. Get to know what will be available when you visit.

Learn more about hiking in Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park is committed to providing inspiring experiences to people of all abilities.

Get important information about visiting the park with your pet(s), ways to keep them safe, and where to take them.

Watch the official Mesa Verde National Park film, which shows daily at the Mesa Verde Museum.

Download the park app, audio tours, and podcasts before your visit, or to learn more about Mesa Verde from home!

Last updated: June 24, 2024

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Contact info, mailing address:.

PO Box 8 Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330

970-529-4465

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