Mesa Verde National Park
www.nps.gov/meve.htm
P.O. Box 8
Mesa Verde, CO 81330-0008
Tel: (970) 529-4465
Fax: (970) 529-4637
E-mail: MEVE_General_Information@nps.gov

The Park is open all year, even holidays. The busiest season is during the summer, but even on the snowiest days of winter a few hardy visitors make the winding trip to visit the Archaeological Museum and the Spruce Tree House cliff dwellings. Nearly 750,000 people now travel to see this park each year. The park entrance is located 36 miles west of Durango, Colorado, seven miles west of Mancos, and 10 miles east of Cortez. From the park entrance, it is a 21-mile paved drive to the Visitor Center. Be prepared to see wildlife and spectacular scenery as the road winds through some of the most picturesque landscapes in the Southwest.

Far View is a major center of visitor service. The visitor center, open from late spring through mid autumn, displays contemporary Indian arts and crafts. Commercial tours of Chapin Mesa leave from Far View Motor Lodge. The motor lodge is open from May through October. For reservations write ARA Mesa Verde Company, Box 277, Mancos Colorado 81328. Telephone: 970-529-4421. There is a restaurant at the lodge and a cafeteria nearby; gasoline is also available.

Take advantage of the park's many interpretive programs. Exhibits at Far View and Chapin Mesa illustrate the arts and crafts of both the prehistoric and historic Indians of the region. Guided tours and evening campfire programs are given in summer. Wayside exhibits throughout the park interpret the cliff dwellings and other archeological remains. The sequence of Anasazi architectural development in Mesa Verde can be seen along Ruins Road on Chapin Mesa.

The park ranges in altitude from 8500 feet at Park Point down to just under 7000 feet at the entrance. Summer days are very warm with temperatures occasionally reaching the mid 90's, but the evenings are very cool, and campers usually resort to sweaters by nightfall. Winters are relatively mild, but vary greatly. The coldest part of the season lasts from late December through early March.

Trips & Tours in the Park

AAVE Teen Adventures- Since 1976, summer wilderness travel for teens around the world. Hawaii, Alaska, Europe, 4-corners, 3-6 week, small group size. Activities include backpacking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, sea kayaking, sailing, horseback riding and biking.