Guided Tours of Mesa Verde National Park near Durango Colorado

Discover the wonder and grandeur of this one-of-a-kind place for yourself...take a walk through history at Mesa Verde National Park! Maximize your visit here with a stimulating guided tour. You'll gain insights into the heritage of Mesa Verde National Park as you explore its spectacular sites...why did people thrive here for seven centuries, evolving from hunter-gatherers into a culture known for its agriculture, intricate artistry and architecture, and then leave? Where did they go?

Your tour guide, a National Park Service ranger, will point out interesting architectural details, as well as the significance of local flora and fauna, artifacts, and natural resources. And you'll learn our current understandings of the Ancestral Puebloans, including how their social and religious structures may have developed into life ways still followed by some southwestern peoples.

A guided tour is the ultimate Mesa Verde interpretive experience...you won't want to miss it. Tours are fully interpretive and interactive, and led by NPS rangers. Bring a camera -- you'll find fantastic photo opportunities.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

~~ A sustainable buffet meal or grab-n-go lunch is available for an additional charge before or after your tour.
~~ View Mesa Top Sites, and Cliff Palace.
~~ Interpretive guided tours visit a number of Chapin Mesa sites via motor coach and on foot.
~~ Guided tours reveal a chronological journey starting with the earliest mesa top pit houses (500-600 A.D.)
~~ Includes walkthrough visit of Cliff Palace the largest and best known cliff dwelling.
~~ Ladder climbing is required at Cliff Palace (3 - 12 foot ladders)
~~ Visitors physically unable to participate in the one-hour round-trip walk into Cliff Palace will receive additional information and interpretation from the NPS ranger.
~~ Restroom available at Cliff Palace.
~~ National Park Service guides lead visitors on a learning journey through time and share modern understanding and interpretation of the culture, architecture and archaeology of the Ancestral Puebloan people.
~~ Children are welcome and receive information to assist in their Junior Ranger efforts.
~~ Sunscreen, layered clothing, hat, camera and drinking water are suggested items to take along on the tours.
~~ Grab-n-Go food items are available for purchase at Far View Terrace Mocha Mesa coffee bar prior to boarding the motor coach.
~~ No food (including gum) or drinks other than water are allowed in cliff dwelling sites.
~~ Chapin mesa sites are at approximately 7000 feet elevation.

MESA VERDE STORY:

Mesa Verde, which is Spanish for "green table," is internationally known for its famous cliff dwellings. This National Park is also a national treasure and designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site. Among the most notable and best preserved in the United States, these sites give us a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made this area their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300.

President Theodore Roosevelt established Mesa Verde National Park in 1906 to 'preserve the works of man,' the first national park of its kind. Today, the National Park Service continues preservation and research projects at the park. To preserve its priceless treasures, the NPS has excavated and stabilized mesa-top and cliff dwelling sites, chronologically interpreting nearly 700 years of occupation so that visitors today can learn from the past.

In 1978, Mesa Verde National Park was named a World Heritage Site in recognition of its exceptional archaeological sites, including its spectacular cliff dwellings tucked into the sandstone alcoves of its steep-walled canyons.

Prices include all taxes and fees. Child rates apply to children ages 5 to 12; children ages 4 and under are free. Please reserve online, or call us toll-free at 800-301-5647.