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or 970/ 533-1944; www.visitmesaverde.com), 4 miles past the entrance station on the park's entrance road, is among the largest in the national park system with 435 sites, including 15 with full RV hookups. Open from mid-April to mid-October, the campground sits on rolling hills in a grassy area with scrub oak and brush. The attractive sites line four loop roads on the gently sloping floor of Morefield Canyon. For tent campers, the sites on Navajo Loop afford extra privacy. Though lower than the others, this loop is free of RVs and cuts into dense clusters of Gambel oak. If you prefer panoramic vistas, head for Hopi Loop, where the campsites are higher and less wooded than the others, affording views down the canyon. At dusk on most nights, mule deer browse in the bushes around many campsites.

Free showers are available just outside the campground entrance at Morefield Village, which also has a coin-operated laundry. The campground has toilets, drinking water, public phones, picnic tables, grills, and an RV dump station. Programs on the area's human and natural history and other subjects take place at the campground amphitheater nightly from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Campsites cost $19, $25 with hookups (plus tax). If you're hoping to snare one of the full-hookup sites, try getting to the park by late morning; non-hookup sites are almost always available.

Where to Stay

INSIDE THE PARK

Far View Lodge

Mesa Verde National Park (P.O. Box 277), Mancos, CO 81328. ☎ 800/449-2288 or 970/ 533-1944. Fax 970/533-7831. www.visitmesa verde.com/accommodations.htm. 150 units. $110–$127 double. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Closed late Oct to Mar. Pets accepted; deposit required.

Located in the heart of Mesa Verde National Park, Far View Lodge offers not only the most convenient location for visiting the park, but also the best views of any accommodations in the area. The facility lodges guests in 17 separate buildings spread across a hilltop. Standard rooms aren't fancy and are a bit on the small side, but they are well maintained and more than adequate, with Southwestern decor and coffeemakers. Some have refrigerators. In fact, many of the units have recently been renovated and upgraded. Kiva rooms have handcrafted furniture, one king or two queen-size beds, bathrobes, CD players, and other upscale amenities. Most standard rooms have one queen-size bed or two doubles, although a variety of bed combinations are available. For a couple, we prefer the rooms with one bed—they seem less cramped than rooms with two beds. There are no TVs, but each unit has a private balcony, and the views are magnificent in all directions. Some units have telephones. There's a 24-hour front desk, two restaurants, and a gift shop, and room rates include morning coffee and newspaper. All units are nonsmoking.

NEAR THE PARK

Summer is the busy season, when you'll pay the highest rates. Among the major chains providing comfortable, reasonably priced lodging in Cortez (zip code 81321) are Best Western Turquoise Inn & Suites, 535 E. Main St. (☎ 970/565-3778), with rates for two from $69 to $149; Comfort Inn, 2321 E. Main St. (☎ 970/565-3400), $49 to $109 double; Econo Lodge, 2020 E. Main St. (☎ 970/ 565-3474), $45 to $89 double; Super 8, 505 E. Main St. (☎ 970/565-8888), $45 to $77 double; and Travelodge, 440 S. Broadway (☎ 970/565-7778), $45 to $79 double. National toll-free reservations numbers for these chains appear in the appendix (p. 660).

Anasazi Motor Inn

640 S. Broadway, Cortez, CO 81321. ☎ 800/ 972-6232 or 970/565-3773. Fax 970/565-1027. www.anasazimotorinn.com. 87 units. A/C TV TEL. $55–$75 double. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Pets accepted.

This attractive independent motel offers spacious Southwest-decorated rooms with either one king-size bed or two queens, plus an outdoor heated swimming pool, hot tub, sand volleyball court, restaurant (American), and lounge. Many of the ground-floor rooms have patios.

Holiday Inn Express

2121 E. Main, Cortez, CO 81321. ☎ 800/ 626-5652 or 970/565-6000.