Sunset over the Montezuma Valley from Mesa Verde National Park
While in Texas visiting my parents during the winter of 2005 I accepted a job as a seasonal Park Ranger from Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado. So I had about 1200 miles to go. Mesa Verde translates as green table in Spanish.
Friends in Roswell
Along the way I stopped in Roswell, New Mexico to visit friends.
Mesa Verde museum
Occasionally I worked in the museum yet more frequently gave tours at three cliff dwellings and roved at Spruce Tree house.
Spruce Tree House from behind museum
Part of Spruce Tree House
The Ancestral Puebloan people—also known as Anasazi—occupied the Mesa Verde area as far back as 8,000-10,000 years ago. Once a nomadic people, they settled to dry farm around 450 AD with the introduction of corn, beans and squash that came from Mexico. Anthropologists believe some of the people moved from the mesa tops into the cliffs around 1200 to free more land for farming and perhaps for defense purposes.
Collared lizard photo by Jo Schrock
The Puebloans lived off the land in a severe environment of contrasts. The mesa tops out at 7,000 feet in elevation supporting a juniper and pinyon high desert forest. Heavy winter snows and summer monsoons brought sporadic water to the land. Yet the land provided fruit, nuts, acorns and wild onions. Plus the yucca, which I call the Wal-Mart of the mesa, with an edible flower and fruit, leaves made into fibers for weaving, and a root boiled and mashed into soap. Their meat diet included bear, elk, deer and mountain sheep, but mostly rabbits, birds, rodents and even lizards.
Cliff Palace from tour starting point
First discovered by John Wetherill while searching for stray cattle in December of 1888, Cliff Palace is the icon of Mesa Verde with 150 rooms. These amazing apartment-like structures were built with mortar and the local sandstone, block by block using levels and plum bobs, adding new rooms as needed. However, this tour is not for the faint of heart. First we descend about 100 feet on uneven steps carved into the stone. We will follow a trail along the front of the alcove making a couple stops along the way. Then we’ll climb the far stairs and a small ladder to gather by the big square tower before we leave the site by climbing five 8-10 foot ladders for a 100 foot vertical climb back to the mesa top.
Ladders out of Cliff Palace
An even more adventurous tour awaits us at Balcony House. There is a 120 foot descent on stairs to a short level trail…
Trail to Balcony House
…before climbing up a 32 foot, double ladder …
Visitors climbing into Balcony House
…and squeezing through a crack to enter a much smaller site than Cliff Palace with 38 rooms.
About half of Balcony House
The remaining walls continue to deteriorate without the Puebloans annual repairs. Upright metal reinforcements have been added by park archaeologists to slow the element’s and public’s impact. The protruding beams, called vegas, are original timbers which provided tree ring dating for the site at 800 years old. The semi-circle in the foreground is from a kiva believed to be used for weaving, teaching and spiritual activities. This circular pit would have had a flat roof entered through a hole by ladder. And speaking of ladders, to leave this site we will first crawl through a 12 foot tunnel about 2×3 foot square, climb a 15 foot ladder, walk on steps carved from the face of the mesa with the help of a chain handrail, and finally climb one more 15 foot ladder.
Ladder and trail out of Balcony House
My favorite tour site is located on Wetherill Mesa called Long House. Only a few short ladders in the site, yet you must ride a tram about 10 minutes to the trailhead and hike the switchbacks about 150 feet down—and back up. You can really walk into and through this site and get a sense of what it might have been like to provide for and raise a family here. Sit quietly and listen to the children’s laughter, women grinding corn, men singing for rain.
Long House
After many years of drought the People began to leave and by 1300 they were gone from Mesa Verde. Their descendents live on as the Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, Laguna, and in 18 Pueblos along the Rio Grande River.
Native dancers performed representing deer and eagle
It was an outstanding place to work yet there was no place for me to park my RV home in the park. The first month I lived at AAA RV Park in a gravel lot, which Carson didn’t like. I drove 40 miles a day for work. Then I got lucky as a fellow Ranger had a full hookup site on the five acres where she lives, 80 miles round trip from work, which I didn’t like. But, oh the view.
At the end of the season I journeyed to Arizona for the winter.
I would so love to be there someday!
I have been to Mesa Verde several times! It is so magical and unique. Man o man! was it hot in the summer. I loved exploring the whole 4 Corners area. I lived in Durango briefly. I bet it has changed a lot since then.
Oh my goodness – that was so informative and interesting! I can hardly wait to visit it in person!
I loved Mesa Verde when I visited it many years ago. It’s truly incredible.
Such adventures. I can’t even imagine not knowing what I would do/where I would go next.
I’ve not been to Mesa Verde since I was a child. We have talked about going there several times since living so close; however, I’m really glad for this post because there is just no way our youngest could handle that. We’ll wait a few years.
Gaelyn: What a neat look at the park with all its beauty. I would like to visit but that climbing would be tough on these old knees.
What a fascinating glimpse into your world. I’d love to go there some day. All of the shots are great and that lizard was so colorful.
Thanks for the brief tour of Mesa Verde. I would like to see more, so I guess I’m going to have to go there myself. But I really appreciate the introduction you’ve given.
what a super post gaelyn. i love mesa verde and have experienced it up close and personal. a real national treasure in no uncertain terms.
your photosgraphs are great.
thanks for sharing
take care
erin
I visited Mesa Verde years ago. I’d love to go back. What a great post with so much information and interesting depictions of the dwellings. And that pic of the hummingbird…fantastic!
Very interesting post and great photos, looks a lovely place to visit.
Wow what a great myworld post, thanks so much for the tour, and the pics were outstanding.
Cheers!
Regina In Pictures
This looks like a magical place. The long post was needed for both the images and text. I think this will now be on a lot of peoples to do list.
That’s definitely the good life: the perfect combination of hitting the road and hunkering down. Can’t beat the desert life (as long as you have water)
I have been told this is so worth a visit and your post just confirms it. Beautiful and fascinating about the caves.
Great post. It has been years since I’ve been there. I need to go back.
Another brilliant post Gaelyn. I would love to make my home in those caves!! That is a lovely looking lizard.
That was fascinating! And I liked those long shots. Thanks for sharing.
the ladders look scary but I’ll go up there. The first time I’ve seen the Spruce Tree House is in Shenzhen, China (Windows of the World). They have miniatures of fascinating parts of the world and i got curious with it. Now, you got my questions answered about the place. Really cool. Hope i can go there someday.
What a world!!! I love it, and since I’m not sure I’ll ever have to opportunity to visit, thanks for sharing it!
Warm greetings,
Esther
Thank your for the fascinating tour of Mesa Verde. I’ve never been there. Climbing the ladders looks a little scary, but I’m sure it’s well worth it. Your pictures are breathtaking!
Awesome photos. My hubby liked the one with the lizard. Great post!
I love that place! When visiting a few years back I did just as you said..i envisioned what it must have been like.
Very cool…I have a video of it that I took..
check it out…
i will stay tuned for the next episode…
My parents took us there on a family vacation about 37 years ago, but I didn’t appreciate it as a teenager. I hope to go back someday. Your pictures are wonderful.
It’s one of the coolest places I’ve ever seen, that’s for sure! A shorter post would not have done it justice.
This is my second read of your narrative. Fascinating; I’ve always wanted to see Mesa Verde and now you’ve strengthened my resolve.
What a terrific and interesting post, Gaelyn! All my years of living in Arizona and I never made it there. I would really love to see it now. Great photos!
Wow, beautiful! I didn’t get a chance to read the whole thing (I am watching the timer on the library computer count down….I am at 3 min left…). But I loved looking at your pictures! What a beautiful place to get to work!!
wow, your world is different. what comes to mind is that geology rocks. thank you for sharing.
let me share my white water rafting adventure to you here
Gaelyn,
Hi, i liked your blog, i’m from brazil, and i’m travelling around USA for 3 months. I will stay for 2 days in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I saw that you know this region. Its possible to you give me 2 or 3 best sugestions to visit near to albuquerque?
Thanks so much