Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [263]
Avoiding the Crowds. With close to 500,000 visitors annually, Mesa Verde seems packed at times. But park officials point out that the numbers are much lower just before and after the summer rush. June 15 to August 15 is the high summer visitation period. Visitors during the first 2 weeks of June or the last 2 weeks of August encounter fewer crowds.
Another way to beat the crowds is to make the 12-mile drive to Wetherill Mesa. In one recent year, only 5% of the park's visitors—just over 30,000 people— ventured to the mesa, which has some of the park's most interesting archaeological sites. The third and perhaps best way to beat the crowds is to hike one of the backcountry trails. As one former park ranger told us, "With our backcountry closed to camping, our hiking trails aren't used very much, and these are great ways for people to get away."
Just the Facts
GETTING THERE & GATEWAYS
Mesa Verde National Park is in southwestern Colorado, just under 400 miles southwest of Denver and 252 miles northwest of Albuquerque. The park entrance is on U.S. 160, 10 miles east of the town of Cortez and 6 miles west of Mancos.
From Cortez, U.S. 491 (formerly U.S. 666) runs north to Monticello, Utah (and on to Salt Lake City), and south to
Gallup, New Mexico (on I-40). U.S. 160 runs east through Durango to Walsenburg and I-25, and west through the Four Corners area into Arizona. At the east end of town, Colo. 145, which runs north to Telluride and Grand Junction, intersects U.S. 160.
The Nearest Airport. Cortez Municipal Airport (☎ 970/565-7458; www.cityof cortez.com/airport.shtml), about 3 miles southwest of town off U.S. 491 and U.S. 160, is served by Great Lakes Airlines, which offers daily service between Cortez and Denver and has rental cars from Enterprise and Budget. Toll-free reservation numbers are in the appendix (p. 660).
INFORMATION
Contact Mesa Verde National Park, P.O. Box 8, Mesa Verde N.P., CO 81330-0008 (☎ 970/529-4465; www.nps.gov/meve). For area information, contact the Mesa Verde Country Visitor Information Bureau, P.O. Box HH, Cortez, CO 81321 (☎ 800/253-1616; www.mesa verdecountry.com), and when you get in the area, stop at the Colorado Welcome Center at Cortez, Cortez City Park, 928 E. Main St. (☎ 970/565-4048; www.swcolo.org), open daily from 8am to 6pm in summer and from 8am to 5pm the rest of the year. Books on the park are available from the Mesa Verde Museum Association, P.O. Box 38, Mesa Verde, CO 81330 (☎ 800/305-6053 or 970/529-4445; www.mesaverde.org).
VISITOR CENTERS
The Far View Visitor Center, 14 miles southwest of the park entrance, is the only place that sells tickets for ranger-guided hikes. It has an information desk, an impressive display of American Indian art, and a small bookstore. It's open only during the summer.
The staff at the small Morefield Ranger Station in Morefield Village also provides park information. It's open in summer only, usually during the afternoon and early evening.
The Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum (open year-round) has dioramas and interpretive displays on Pueblo culture, a ranger-staffed information desk, and a bookstore.
FEES
Entry for up to 7 days costs $10 per vehicle, and there are also fees for guided tours (see "Organized Tours & Ranger Programs," below).
GETTING AROUND
The Park Service operates a minitram in the Wetherill Mesa area during the summer season. It runs from the parking area to the main archaeological sites and is a real time-saver because your only other choice is to hike; cars aren't permitted beyond the parking area.
SPECIAL REGULATIONS & WARNINGS
To protect the many park's archaeological sites, the Park Service has outlawed backcountry camping and off-trail hiking. It's also illegal to enter cliff dwellings without a ranger present. Similarly, all artifacts and archaeological sites are protected by federal law.
The Wetherill Mesa Road cannot accommodate vehicles longer than 25 feet.