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Introduction
Mesa Verde National Park is certainly one of the most popular national parks in U.S., known for its spectacular cliff dwellings. Located in Montezuma County in Colorado, Mesa Verde Park spreads over 81.4 sq. miles of area and has got some unique characteristics. In this U.S. national park, one can also find the ruins of homes and villages that were once built by the ancient Pueblo people. The cliff dwellings, which the park is known for, are just awesome. Mesa Verde is also the home to the Cliff Palace – arguably North America’s largest cliff dwelling.
Mesa National Park is a park of four-season. Though it remains open throughout the year, many of the park’s services are offered only from April to October. Come here and be amazed with the brilliance of its archeological sights. However, not only that,
the Park can also mesmerize you with its scintillating desert landscape of steep canyons and tall mesas.
Visiting Mesa Verde National Park
There are a lot in store in Mesa Verde for you. Be the world-famous cliff dwellings for the desert landscape – Mesa Park is truly amazing.
Cliff Dwellings: Mesa is the home to around 600 cliff dwellings. Among those, the most notable are Cliff Palace, Balcony House, Spruce Tree House, Long House and Step House.
Far View Visitor Center: In order to visit Cliff Palace, Balcony House and Long House, you must come first at the Far View Visitor Center. You can purchase tickets for those sights only from here. Here, you can also see the exhibits like Historic Native American jewelry, pottery and basket displays etc.
Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum: It is one of the major attractions of Mesa Verde. Here you can see the illustration of Ancestral Puebloan life in dioramas. Various programs are also organized here regularly.
Hiking: Those who love hiking, can go for any of the several hiking trails. Choose from the trails like Prater Ridge Trail, Knife Edge Trail, Point Lookout Trail, Petroglyph Point Trail, Spruce Canyon Trail, Soda Canyon Overlook Trail, and Farming Terrace Trail.
How to Reach
Air: If you are coming down by air, you can land at any of the airports in Cortez, Durango, and Farmington.
Road: You can reach the park from Colorado through Highway 160 in 1 hour, and from Durango in 1.5 hour.
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