Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff dwellings built into alcoves by Ancestral Puebloans and lived in for seven centuries.
- 38named trails
- 27trail miles mapped
- Coloradolocation
Popular hikes in Mesa Verde
- Farming Terrace Trail · about 0.5 mi · Easy
- Soda Canyon Overlook · about 1.2 mi · Easy
- Knife Edge Trail · about 2 mi · Easy
- Nordenskiold Site No. 16 · about 2 mi · Moderate
- Point Lookout · about 2.2 mi · Moderate
- Petroglyph Point · about 2.4 mi · Moderate
- Spruce Canyon Trail · about 2.4 mi · Moderate
- Prater Ridge · about 7.8 mi · Moderate
Best months to visit
- May: Ranger-led cliff dwelling tours open for the season (May 4 in 2026), and Wetherill Mesa opens later in May. Spring temperatures are ideal on the mesa tops.
Permits and reservations
No reservation is needed to enter the park, but a ranger-led tour reservation is required to go inside a cliff dwelling.
- Cliff dwelling tours: Ranger-guided tours (Cliff Palace, Balcony House, Long House) release 14 days ahead at 8 a.m. MDT and fill up early. Cancellations can be booked online up to 2 hours before a tour.
Entrance fees
- Private Vehicle: $30
- Motorcycle: $25
- Per Person: $15
- Private Vehicle: $20
Official park site: nps.gov
All 38 trails in Mesa Verde
- Badger House Community Trail · 1.52 mi round trip · Easy
- Balcony House Trail · 0.58 mi round trip · Easy
- Chapin Ampitheatre Trail · 0.3 mi round trip · Easy
- Cliff Palace Trail · 0.64 mi round trip · Easy
- Far View Sites Trail · 1.72 mi round trip · Easy
- Farming Terrace Trail · 0.42 mi loop · Easy
- Fewkes Cabin Trail · 0.22 mi round trip · Easy
- Fire Recovery Viewpoint Trail · 0.1 mi round trip · Easy
- Geologic Overlook Trail · 0.22 mi round trip · Easy
- Headquarters Loop Overflow Parking Trail · 0.06 mi round trip · Easy
- Headquarters Loop Overlook Parking Trail · 0.16 mi round trip · Easy
- Headquarters Loop Road Corridor Walkway · 0.62 mi round trip · Easy
- Headquarters Loop to Mesa Top Road Trail · 0.5 mi round trip · Easy
- Headquarters Office/Quarters Trail System · 0.9 mi round trip · Easy
- Knife Edge Trail · 2 mi round trip · Easy
- Knife Edge-Prater Ridge Connection · 1.2 mi round trip · Easy
- Kodak House Overlook Trail · 0.12 mi round trip · Easy
- Long House Loop · 7.14 mi round trip · Moderate
- Long House Loop Trail · 0.54 mi round trip · Easy
- Long House Overlook Trail · 0.14 mi round trip · Easy
- Long House Trail · 0.64 mi round trip · Easy
- Mesa Top Loop Sites Trail · 0.64 mi round trip · Easy
- Montezuma Overlook Trail · 0.06 mi round trip · Easy
- Nordenskiold Site #16 Trail · 2 mi round trip · Moderate
- Park Point Trail · 0.38 mi round trip · Easy
- Petroglyph Trail · 4.7 mi round trip · Easy
- Point Lookout Trail · 2.2 mi round trip · Easy
- Prater Ridge Trail · 12.88 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Rock Canyon Tower View Trail · 0.18 mi round trip · Easy
- Soda Canyon Overlook Trail · 1.46 mi round trip · Easy
- Spruce Canyon Trail · 4.4 mi round trip · Moderate
- Spruce Tree House Trail · 0.82 mi round trip · Easy
- Square Tower House Trail · 0.3 mi round trip · Easy
- Step House Trail · 1.6 mi round trip · Easy
- Sun Point View Trail · 0.08 mi round trip · Easy
- Sun Temple Trail · 0.24 mi round trip · Easy
- Wetherill Mesa Kiosk Trail · 1 mi round trip · Moderate
- Wetherill Parking Area Comfort Station Trail · 0.12 mi round trip · Easy
Trailbound shows every one of these on an interactive map with live weather, park alerts and elevation profiles. It's free to browse.