A Step Back in Time

The second destination of our big road trip was Mesa Verde National Park. Located in the southwestern corner of Colorado, Mesa Verde is known for cliff dwellings built by Ancient Pueblo people. In the park we camped at Morefield Campground and spent the following day exploring the park.

A park mainly focused on the thousands of archaeological sites, most visitors do not spend much time hiking, and rather exploring the cliff dwellings. To start our day we hiked the Point Overlook trail, a completely empty trail with 360 degree views from the top. The hike leads straight up to the top of a mesa with views of the Mancos Valley and the San Juan and the La Plata Mountains.

After our hike we headed farther into the park towards the cliff dwellings. We drove the Mesa Top Loop, self guided driving tour where we saw pit houses and cliff dwellings from afar.

There are cliff dwellings and other ancient archaeological sites all over the park, but there are only a select few that are accessible to the public. During our time, one of the five cliff dwellings open to the public was accessible. Earlier in the morning we went to the visitor center and picked up our tickets for our 4 PM tour of the Balcony House. This is the most interactive and adventurers cliff dwellings tour from what we were told. The tour consisted of two 30 foot plus ladders, tight squeezes, and a long tunnel that we had to crawl through. The heritage and archeological significance of this area is incredible. We were amazed and drawn in my all the views, stories, and mysteries that Mesa Verde holds.