The entrance road to Mesa Verde is plowed in the winter, but other park roads are not. You can drive up to the empty Morefield Campground and ski on a mile or so of easy terrain.

If you continue up the main road to Chapin Mesa, there is a six-mile trail on Ruin road's Balcony House Loop. Snowfall is generally light in this region, and doesn't stay on the ground very long, but when conditions are right, there can be no better way to witness the spectacular ruins than dusted with a fine layer of light powder.

The park is at its quietest during the snow-bound off-season, and many visitors prefer to see the park in a blanket of winter snow. They claim that it makes them understand more about the people who made these buildings a home.