Mesa Verde
 

How long should we spend in the Mesa Verde National Park?
And any advice on what to do to get the most out of the visit?

We're tossing up whether to spend two nights in the park or one.
The one night involves driving from Santa Fe to the Park arriving about 2 in the afternoon, buying tickets for the tour the next day, checking in and may be taking a drive. The following day doing two guided walks and a drive before heading back to Durango. Is that feasible? If we do two nights, then we would need to reduce our stay in the Durango, Silverton, Ouray area from 4 nights to 3 nights. Our time is not unlimited.
All suggestions welcome.
Also any suggestions on the Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Telluride area, including accommodation ideas.
Thanks in advance.

Stay the two nights and be awed by the splendor of Mesa Verde. Kudos to you for staying in the Park. I consider it a wonder of the world--IF you listen to the narrative, and see the culture. ;o)

Time of year?

if you are going from Memorial Day to Labor Day, when Wetherill Mesa is open, then two nights, otherwise one will do.

Definitely do two nights in Mesa Verde. Three nights in Durango is perfect. Be sure to do the guided walk to Balcony House and Cliff Palace. Amazing place!

Two nights at Mesa Verde for sure. No need to hurry out on the day of departure either if your next night is so close in Durango.

I'd also suggest a night in Ouray simply to take advantage of staying at The Wiesdbaden Inn to experience the Vapor Cave. You could also have a massage. Great place to relax and enjoy a small mountain town and some pampering...a unique accommodation...we loved it.

http://www.wiesbadenhotsprings.com/

Ouray isn't as well known as Silverton or Telluride and that's a good thing IMO.

The dates will be 14 -15 May 2015.
Am I correct - May 25 is Memorial Day. Therefore Wetherill Mesa will be closed. Unfortunately it is impossible to stretch the timing/route to post Memorial Day.

Please excuse my ignorance, but Cliff Palace and Balcony House are part of Wetherill Mesa and will be closed on the May 15, 2015. Is that correct?

If Wetherill Mesa is closed, is it at least possible to view the Cliff Palace from a distance?

Again if Wetherill Mesa is closed, what other attractions are there? What would you suggest?

Thanks peterboy. We're still wondering how to approach the Durango area. Select one place/accommodation as a base and travel out each day, or spend the nights in different places. How would you approach it keeping in mind that for us the scenery, the small towns and possibly the old mines in the area being the major drawcards.

On your way into Durango/Mesa Verde from Santa Fe you could try to visit Aztec Ruin. It is the only restored kiva in the National Park System (done before such things were frowned upon}. This is the same culture (Anasazi/Chacoan) that later vacated to Mesa Verde. Not as amazing as Chaco Canyon but much easier to get to.

http://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm


You could cut a night off Durango and add Ouray but I see you're leaving the area from Mesa Verde. It is an easy shot from Ouray to Moab (3 hours). but that would leave you traversing the Million Dollar Highway 4 times...twice by train out and back to/from Silverton and then again by car from Durango to Ouray and back for just one night. The other alternative is to go from Santa Fe directly to Mesa Verde, then Durango with one less night giving that night to Ouray. I know you've already booked Far View at Mesa Verde.


I've never been a big fan of the "home base" since I hate backtracking...but that's just me.

Con60,

Long House is out on Wetherill Mesa and Cliff Palace, Balcony House and many other areas to see are on Chapin Mesa. Chapin Mesa will be open when you are there. The drive to Long House on Wetherill is a long one so that is probably why emalloy suggested two nights so you'd have time to do both mesa's.

Utahtea

I wouldn't worry about whether you stay in Durango or Mesa verde - they are an hour away at most so easy to get back and forth. Personally I like doing my own hiking rather than the ranger guided ones - there are so many great trails. And I second the suggestion for Aztec ruins - also less than an hour from Durango. Chaco could be hot that time of year unless you get their early in the morning. enjoy

Unfortunately you can not do some of the grander ruins like Cliff Palace or Long House UNLESS you take one of the ranger hike and they are worth going with a group. The Rangers information is always fascinating too.

Utahtea

Thanks utahtea. That is great news. I had resigned myself to it being closed. We will definitely do the ranger hike/s. To come away without the history would be a travesty of sorts. For my wife Monument Valley will be the highlight of our trip. For me, it will be the dwellings in the cliff face at Mesa Verde.
My knowledge of the Mesa Verde is minimal and is based mostly on images I've seen in books, etc. Consequently it's not easier to put the location and its features together.
We were about to examine our schedule to see if could accommodate it some other way.

This is really great news - Thanks.

Lauramsgarden,
I have noted your advice re: Aztec Ruins and we'll look into it. From what people are saying, we should be prepared for a wide range of temperatures.

On your first day, do the Mesa top loop and walk down to spruce tree house, which you can visit on your own. Be sure to stop at the overlooks on the loop and see where you will be visiting with the rangers.

IF you can possibly work in even a drive by of Canyon de Chelly to see those cliff dwellers, do so. Those ancient people lived in the cliffs also but farmed the valleys. The MV Anasazi lived in the cliffs and farmed the mesa tops. And the current dwellers at Canyon de Chelly are Navajos and their hogans and crafts are very interesting also.

Thanks emalloy and Gretchen.

emalloy - advice like that is much appreciated. Is what you have suggested possible in three hours?

Gretchen- While we haven't booked any accommodation yet, we have pencilled in 2 nights at Canyon de Chelly, Sunday 3 May and Monday 4 May. The first day includes the drive from Monument Valley to Canyon de Chelly - we have allowed 2 and half hours for the drive. We should arrive around noon on the Sunday. On leaving Canyon de Chelly on Tuesday 5 May, we drive to Albuquerque. The drive alone is a half day, (4 hours). In my mind this leaves us a day and a half - a half day on the Sunday ( the afternoon), followed by all day Monday to explore Canyon de Chelly.
Your comments/ suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Prioritized attractions.
Thanks
Con60.

I am so pleased for you. The American West is a treasure!!

This may be somewhat dated [some of the restaurants are closed] but it may prove insighful:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...uggestions.cfm

For Canyon de Chelly do one of the tours of the canyon. Other than the hike down to White House Ruins you are not allowed in the canyon without a guide. You can do the rim drive on your own and I highly recommend it even if you do a canyon tour.

The tours are called shake and bake tours but in May it should be cool enough that you won't bake. We only did the half day trip and next time I want to do the longer one. If you have your own 4 x 4 vehicle you can hire a guide. We've never done that so I have no first hand experience other than I know they exist.

Sounds like a wonderful trip! I love Monument Valley, but I know I'm in the minority on that one.

Utahtea

If you get to Mesa Verde by noonish and make your reservations for your tours (I would opt for one on that afternoon and one the next morning) you would have time to do the loop and Spruce tree house.

The Metate room is very nice for dinner, but on the day in I would want to pick up sandwiches for lunch before going up the Mesa as I,ve found service in the lunch places a bit slow.

Also, keep in mind it's almost a 45 minute ride into the actual park(Visitors Center) from the entrance, so you aren't there til you're there.

Deb's post is the reason to stay IN the Park. Just isn't worth the travel time--and I suspect, traffic.

Traffic not so much of an issue, Gretchen. It's the travel time and if you aren't a fan of curvy, twisty mountain road, that too. Less times driven, the better, if you know what I mean.

emalloy. Good plan, much appreciated. Maximizing time is important, so the sandwich idea makes a lot of sense.

DebiitNM
It would be unreasonable to assume that we could drive from Sante Fe to Mesa Verde, add on the 45 minutes and be there by noonish. However if the previous stop-over was Durango (or thereabouts), it would appear to fit in nicely.
I assume the 'curvy twisty road' is the journey from the entrance to the Visitors' Centre, not highway 160?

Gretchen.
The plan is stay in the park; we just need to workout the schedule which entails the drive from Sante Fe, 3 or 4 nights in the Durango-Ouray-Telluride area and 1 or 2 nights in Mesa Verde.

fyi, traffic between Durango and Mesa verde is not bad at all, in fact the road is a breeze - and Mesa Verde is one of the few blessedly uncrowded national parks. we've been there numberous times in the last 2 years and never had a line. We usually eat lunch at the cafeteria by the Sprucetree house ruins and have found the food really decent, and again no wait - maybe we were just lucky. Of course a picnic in May should be lovely.

weather wise - will probably be in the 70's to 80's, probably quite dry. It's a great time of year to visit

Unfortunately, the drive from Santa Fe to MV is a bit out of the way. You can take back roads to 550 or you can come south on I25 to 550, depends on where in SF you are. IF you leave early enough [maybe 6 am], you might be at Visitor's Center by noon.

The drive from Durango to the entrance to the park [again depending on where IN Durango you start] will be about 45 minutes.

160 isn't too bad, there are 2 passes that you have to climb, but it isn't white knuckle mountain road.

FYI - 80's in May isn't likely.

Con60:

I responded to the questions you addressed to me on this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-on-flickr.cfm

One thing I should mention is that the VC is now much closer to the bottom of the Mesa than it was a couple of years ago. If you sign up for a ranger led tour on the first day, allow forty minutes to get to the parking area for the tour.

Thank you for the update emalloy, it has been a bit of time since I was last there and forgot that the Visitor Center moved. But it's still a long drive in to get to the actual sites.

Sorry but I’ve away away from my computer for the last several days.

Lauramgarden – It’s reassuring to know that we have chosen a good time weather wise. It would also seem that avoided the large crowds.

DebitNM
Thanks for your input. By the time we get to Durango, we’ll be into the 4th week of the trip. I can’t see us leaving at 6 am. In the past we get later with each passing day. Undisciplined and lazy, I know, but I can’t see the habit changing. However your information is suggesting we do 2 nights inside Mesa Verde.

Thank you for the photos Jeffergray.