Weekend Trip to Mesa Verde National Park
- The Wandering Warmacks
- Mar 7
- 3 min read
Tucked away in the rugged landscapes of southwestern Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park is a window into the past. Home to some of the most well-preserved cliff dwellings in the world and America’s largest, this park allows you to walk in the footsteps of a civilization that lived here over 700 years ago.
We spent a weekend here in late August 2024. While we would say this park was not strenuous by any means, we wouldn’t put this on our list of the most “baby-friendly” parks. Since there were a lot of short stop off points, we personally thought it tedious trying to get a little one in and out of a car seat and into a stroller/carrier multiple times. There are also a lot of guided tours that aren't suitable for children. However, we didn't let that stop us from seeing the highlights of the park.
CAMPING
We chose to stay at a free dispersed site for our time here. We found a great spot on The Dyrt, located on BLM land only 10 minutes from the visitor center and about 40 minutes from deep inside the park. It had rained the night before we showed up, so it was a little muddy but still just fine for car camping. We had no trouble navigating the road in our minivan. Spots were limited, probably only about 20 or less available, so it could fill up quickly during peak season.
HIKES
Petroglyph Point (2.7 miles) - the trail can be somewhat narrow & rocky at times, but this moderate and low elevation gain hike gives great views of the Navajo and Spruce Canyons. There was plenty of parking near the museum.
Knife’s Edge (2 miles) - we were the only ones out of on this trail, and the solidarity was amazing. Located just a little past Morefield campground, this was an easy flat trail with expansive views. We felt like we were looking out over the world! Due to its underrated disposition, we would highly recommend this hike.
DRIVE BY STOPS
The Mesa Top Loop Road is a 6 mile paved road that takes you past 10 different special sites. Most are a quick hop out of the car or a really short walking distance. There are convenient road-side pulloffs and even an audio recording you can find on the NPS app to give you some history along the way. Our favorite stopping point was definitely getting a view of Cliff Palace.
First Pithouse
Navajo Canyon Overlook
Square Tower House Overlook
Pithouses and Pueblos
Mesa Top Sites
Sun Point Pueblo
Sun Point View
Oak Tree House Overlook
Fire Temple and New Fire House Overlooks
Sun Temple
OTHER ADVENTURES
If you don’t mind some ladder climbing and tight spaces, you can actually adventure out to the cliff dwellings on a ranger led tour. Options include Cliff Palace, Balcony House, or Square Tower House. Available seasonally with inexpensive reservations. (Note - we did not participate in any of these since we had our little one)
In our evening past time on Saturday, we drove out to Yellow Car Country Wines in Cortez. We love fruit wines and meads, so this was the place for us. The atmosphere was sort of a hodgepodge of furniture and very low key, but the wines were excellent and the owners were so friendly & personal. They had snacks, and wine by the glass, flight, or bottle. Our favorites were the Blueberry wine and Pumpkin Pie mead.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Between exploring ancient ruins, hiking through scenic canyons, and looking at sweeping views from the overlooks, Mesa Verde is a place where history and nature intertwine. Every corner of the park tells a story. If you're really ambitious, you could probably complete all of the above hikes & viewpoints, and fit in a tour all in one day. We think a weekend is probably all you need to get a good taste of this park, making it a great , low key addition to a larger road trip.
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