luvtravl

Are the ruins at Mesa Verde visible from a car or short flat walk? Taking my mother on a Southwest parks tour and considered Mesa Verde. She's not up to lots of stairs or ladders however and not sure it would be worth it to work this into the trip. Any info would be appreciated.

travelallover

There are a couple of cliff dwellings you can see with a .5 to .75 mile hike. The change in elevation is about 100 feet. The better cliff dwellings do involve ladders.

DebitNM

Yes, you can see the cliffdwellings from a viewpoint at many locations. You can see the ones at Spruce Tree house and Cliff Palace and Balcony House. Bring binoculars to make it even better.

The drive around the park is also quite lovely.

It is worth the work to work it into your trip.

Here is info from nps on accessibility at Mesa Verde:

http://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm

and go to "limited mobility" for info.


I live near Mesa Verde and can help you with question, if you'd like.

Deb

luvtravl

Thanks Deb. We will also be traveling near Boulder, UT and there is an Anasazi Village there but don't think it compares to Mesa Verde. We're going to be doing a loop from Vegas through Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Moab, Torrey and Zion. Currently have reservations for 1 night in Monument Valley and then on to Moab for 2 nights. We won't be doing much hiking due to mom's physical condition (and the heat!) so thought about reducing Moab to 1 night and spending a night at Mesa Verde.

DebitNM

When is the trip? I would suggest staying a night in or near Mesa Verde. The drive from Moab into the park is long and then you have all that driving in the park.

Are you ok with driving on narrow, curvy roads?
Deb

luvtravl

The trip is next week. I'm pretty comfortable driving - just probably prefer doing it during daylight. The Far View Lodge has availability. Just need to decide if we want to cut Moab to one night and squeeze in Mesa Verde.

DebitNM

I know that I am prejudiced {I can see Mesa Verde as I type this} but I think it is a must do.

If it means cutting a day from Moab [and you can still do some things in Moab] and you can stay at Far View - go for it. Ask for a room that has a sunset view.
Deb

luvtravl

Deb - Called my mom and she definitely wants to visit Mesa Verde as this may be her only chance to see it. We'll probably get to Mesa Verde around noon or 1 p.m. Hopefully that will give us enough time that afternoon to see the highlights. We'll leave the next morning and head to Moab and Arches. Thanks for being so helpful.

luvtravl

Just called Far View Lodge because I was having technical difficulties with their website - turns out they are sold out and just haven't updated the web. We may be back to original plans if we are unable to find something close by.

uhoh_busted

There are many places to stay in Cortez, a short drive to Mesa Verde. Can you stop at a local AAA before you leave? We brought along their Colorado and Utah directories on our recent trip, which were helpful in finding potential places to stay. It lists just about every hotel/motel. There are also nice places for dinner in Cotez.

DebitNM

Cortez is a short 10 minute drive from the entrance to Mesa Verde, it does take another 40 minutes or so to get to the Visitor Center.

I would recommend: Holiday Inn Express, Best Western or Comfort Inn in Cortez. There are lesser priced options, but these 3 are the nicest. I can also suggest places to eat in Cortez:

steakhouse, (also pizza, and other good eats) - Main Street Brewery; mexican - Tequlia's;
Nero's or Mama Rees for italian.
Deb

luvtravl

Just made a reservation at Holiday Inn Express. Thank you!!!

algalli

1 or 2 days before call Mesa Verde and see if they have a cancellation. That happens a lot in National Parks where folks make reservations far in advance. Staying in the park is a great experience.