Parks / Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
National Park · CO
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.
Official NPS page →Current Alerts (1)
Road Construction
Far View Sites and Cedar Tree Tower are closed for road improvements. Road work along the first four miles of the park road from the entrance station will begin in early summer. Delays of up to 30 minutes are possible - please check the park map before your visit. Wetherill Mesa Road has compacted gravel for 30 feet; motorcycles should take extra caution on this road.
Entrance Fees
If you already have a valid Interagency Annual Pass, you will not be required to pay the 7-Day entrance fee. Pass holders must provide their Interagency Annual or Lifetime pass for validation or will be required to pay the entrance fee. Be prepared to show photo ID with your pass. If you do not possess any valid pass, review the information below about entry fee options OR click on the Interagency Passes box to discover which pass is best for you. Entrance fees and America the Beautiful, National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Passes, such as the Annual, Access, Senior, or Military pass, are also available at the park's entrance station upon arrival.
Campgrounds (1)
Morefield Campground
Morefield Campground is four miles from the park entrance. The 267 campsites are situated within a high-elevation, grassy canyon filled with Gambel oak, native flowers, deer, and wild turkeys. Each site has a picnic table, gravel tent pad, and fire pit/BBQ grill. A camp store offers registration, food, and camp supplies. Firewood, gasoline, showers, a coin-operated laundromat, and a kennel are located nearby. The campground is managed by park concessioner Aramark and is open between spring and fall.
Details →Things to Do
Explore the Mesa Top Loop Road
The 6-mile (10 km) Mesa Top Loop takes you through 700 years of Ancestral Pueblo history. From remains of early pithouses and masonry villages to multi-storied cliff dwellings, the archeological sites along this loop show how early Pueblo architecture evolved. Archeology and Pueblo oral histories shed light on what life may have been like for people who lived, worked, and raised families here for generations.
Visit Mesa Verde's Historic Administrative District
Take a walk amid the early park structures that comprise the Historic Administrative District of Mesa Verde National Park. Established in 1987 the historic district comprises structures with architectural designs based in strong indigenous cultural traditions and blend into their environment. The Pueblo Revival style buildings have a unique place in the development of architecture in this country.
Visitor Centers
- Mesa Verde Museum
- Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center
Webcams
Source: National Park Service.