The Four Corners Area - American Southwest - page 90

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Tips

Keeping Fido Safe & Happy

While there's plenty for human visitors to do in Mesa Verde National Park, the U.S.
Park Service is not very welcoming to our canine friends, and prohibits them on
all trails (the only exceptions are for service dogs, such as Seeing Eye dogs). This
means that if you want to explore the park, you'll need to leave your dogs
behind. Fortunately, there are several kennels in the area, including The Dog
Hotel, 33350 CO 184, Mancos, CO 81328 ( & 970/882-5416 ), which is a well-run
facility, open 7 days a week, that also offers accommodations for cats. Appoint-
ments are required, and pet owners must have proof of current vaccinations.

Mesa Archeological Museum is open daily from 8am to 6:30pm from early April
through early October, daily from 8am to 5pm the rest of the year.
AVOIDING THE CROWDS With close to half a million visitors annually, Mesa Verde
seems packed at times, but the numbers are much lower just before and after the summer
rush, usually from mid-June through mid-August. Another way to beat the crowds is to
make the 12-mile drive to Wetherill Mesa, which attracts only a small percentage of park
visitors.
RANGER PROGRAMS In addition to guided tours to the cliff dwellings (see below),
rangers give nightly campfire programs at Morefield Campground in summer.
EXPLORING THE PARK
Cliff Palace , the park's largest and best-known site, is a four-story apartment com-
plex with stepped-back roofs forming porches for the dwellings above. Accessible by
guided tour only, it is reached by a quarter-mile downhill path. Its towers, walls, and
kivas (large circular rooms used for ceremonies) are all set back beneath the rim of a cliff.
Another ranger-led tour takes visitors up a 32-foot ladder to explore the interior of Bal-
cony House. Each of these tours is given only in summer and into fall (call for exact
dates). Guided tours are also offered by Far View Lodge (see “Where to Stay & Dine,”
below).
Two other important sites— Step House and Long House, both on Wetherill Mesa—
can be visited in summer only. Rangers lead free tours to Spruce Tree House, another of
the major cliff-dwelling complexes, only in winter, when other park facilities are closed.
Visitors can also explore Spruce Tree House on their own at any time.
Although none of the trails to the Mesa Verde sites are strenuous, the 7,000-foot eleva-
tion can make the treks tiring for visitors who aren't used to the altitude. For those who
want to avoid hiking and climbing, the 12-mile Mesa Top Road makes a number of pit
houses and cliffside overlooks easily accessible by car. Chapin Mesa Archeological
Museum houses artifacts and specimens related to the history of the area, including other
nearby sites.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES Though this isn't an outdoor-recreation park per se—the
reason to come here is to see the cliff dwellings and other archaeological sites—you'll find
yourself hiking and climbing to get to the sites. Several longer hikes into scenic Spruce
Canyon let you stretch your legs and get away from the crowds. Hikers must register at
the ranger's office before setting out.

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