The Essential Guide to Mesa Verde National Park

"In southwestern Colorado, this UNESCO World Heritage site preserves elaborate Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings—complex homes with kivas and irrigation systems—tucked beneath sandstone overhangs, offering a rare, intimate connection to ancient history. Open daily year-round, the park requires no entry reservation (seven-day passes are $20 in the low season and $30 in the high season), but stepping inside the renowned dwellings is by ranger-guided tour from May to October, bookable up to 14 days ahead. Expect long distances—historic sites are at least a 45-minute drive from the Highway 160 entrance—and plan accordingly: the park is cashless and, as Brian Bartlett notes, it’s best to gas up before you come. The best visits tend to be in late spring or early fall, with summer bringing reliable weather, wildflowers, and wildlife, and winter offering snowy solitude (though many facilities close, with options like cross-country skiing and snowshoeing). Thanks to high elevation, arid air, and distance from towns, the night skies are inky black—Mesa Verde is an International Dark Sky Park with occasional ranger-led stargazing sessions—and Morefield Campground is ideal for viewing. Getting here typically means flying into CEZ, DRO, or FMN and renting a car, and out of respect for the park’s 26 affiliated tribes and fragile sites, it’s essential to avoid touching or sitting on walls and to leave artifacts where they are." - Evie Carrick Evie Carrick Evie Carrick is a writer and editor who’s lived in five countries and visited well over 50. She now splits her time between Colorado and Paris, ensuring she doesn't have to live without skiing or L'As du Fallafel. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines