2021 Moab to Cortez, NM

Near Cortez

AAA GEM pg 167 also visit website.
guided and self guided tours are available.
Cliff Palace (Mesa Verde's Largest Cliff Dwelling)This 30-minute, ranger-assisted tour involves climbing four, 8- to 10-foot (2.6 to 3m) ladders, on a 100 foot (30m) vertical climb. Total walking distance is about 1/4-mile (400m), roundtrip. Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in the park with 150 rooms and 23 kivas, and may have been home to about 25 families. This exceptionally large cliff dwelling likely had special significance to the original occupants and surrounding communities. Many believe it may have been used as a social or administrative center and gathering place for ceremonies.

Long House (Mesa Verde's Most In-Depth Tour) This 60-minute*, ranger-assisted tour involves hiking 2.25 miles (3.6km) roundtrip with an elevation gain of about 130 feet (40m) and climbing two 15-foot (4.5m) ladders within the site. Allow 1-1/2 to 2 hours for the entire Long House experience (the total time for the tour and the walk between the kiosk and the Long House trailhead).

Mesa Top Loop Road Download audio tour Auto Tour - 700 Years of Mesa Verde History The Mesa Top Loop Road is a 6-mile (10 km) drive that is a tour through time. Along the road, you’ll find short, easily-accessible paved trails to view twelve archeological sites, including surface sites and overlooks of cliff dwellings—the ancient homes and villages of the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived here for more than 700 years.

AAA pg 81. Wed and THurs there is a full day tour and a additional a free half-mile walking tour, you’ll enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at an archaeological research center on mornings