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Cliff dwellings and ranger tours at Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park, CO

Stone towers, walls and round kivas of Cliff Palace fill a sandstone alcove beneath an overhanging cliff, with a path along the canyon side.
Photo: NPS, Public domain

How many days

Adults
2
Kids
2
Plan this trip
Who it suits
Families with teens, couples and friends
How long
4, 5 or 7 days
Getting there
Fly
Seasons
Spring, Summer, Fall

Why it works

  • For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde.
  • Cliff Palace is the largest known cliff dwelling in North America, with 150 rooms and 23 kivas.
  • Except for Step House, you can enter a cliff dwelling only on a ranger-led tour, and tour reservations are only available on recreation.gov.
  • Children from age 4 to 12 can become a Junior Ranger at Mesa Verde with an activity booklet from the Visitor and Research Center or the entrance station.

Watch out for

  • Cliff dwelling tours run seasonally from spring to October, and many facilities, including Far View Lodge and Morefield Campground, are closed in winter.
  • There are no age or height limits for tours, but everyone must be able to walk steep trails, climb wood ladders and negotiate steps on their own.

Sources

  • For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. source (checked 2026-11-14)
  • Cliff Palace is the largest known cliff dwelling in North America, with 150 rooms and 23 kivas. source 1 · source 2 (checked 2026-11-14)
  • Except for Step House, you can enter a cliff dwelling only on a ranger-led tour, and tour reservations are only available on recreation.gov. source (checked 2026-11-14)
  • Children from age 4 to 12 can become a Junior Ranger at Mesa Verde with an activity booklet from the Visitor and Research Center or the entrance station. source (checked 2026-11-14)
  • Cliff dwelling tours run seasonally from spring to October, and many facilities, including Far View Lodge and Morefield Campground, are closed in winter. source 1 · source 2 (checked 2026-11-14)
  • There are no age or height limits for tours, but everyone must be able to walk steep trails, climb wood ladders and negotiate steps on their own. source (checked 2026-11-14)

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