Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado protects vast Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites, most famously stunning cliff dwellings like Cliff Palace and Balcony House, built into canyon walls centuries ago.

**Cliff Palace**, Mesa Verda National Park - September, 2024

Starting c. 7500 BC Mesa Verde was seasonally inhabited by a group of nomadic Paleo-Indians known as the Foothills Mountain Complex. The variety of projectile points found in the region indicates they were influenced by surrounding areas, including the Great Basin, the San Juan Basin, and the Rio Grande Valley. Later, Archaic people established semi-permanent rock shelters in and around the mesa.

Mesa Verde offers various amazing tours, primarily Ranger-Guided Cliff Dwelling Tours (like Cliff Palace, Balcony House, Long House) requiring advance tickets and effort (ladders/tunnels). You can also do Self-Guided Drives (Mesa Top Loop, Wetherill Mesa Road) with overlooks, short trails, and audio guides, plus commercial tours from Durango for deeper exploration, but book park tours early as they sell out.

**Cliff Palace Guided Tour** - DJI Action Pro 4 - September, 2024

Mesa Verde tours offer an unparalleled, immersive look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people through their incredibly preserved cliff dwellings, providing deep historical insight, spiritual connection, and adventure with ranger guides leading you through sites like Cliff Palace and Balcony House, which require climbing ladders and navigating tight spaces, making it a unique, memorable journey back in time.

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado protects vast Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites, most famously stunning cliff dwellings like Cliff Palace and Balcony House, built into canyon walls centuries ago.

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