Mesa Verde
 

Planning a trip next summer for Mesa Verde/4 Corners. Plan on doing Druango Train with zipline adventure, 4 corners, Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods, Goosenecks, Natural Bridges. Don't think the Alpine Slide will be open at Memorial Day. My question is, Do I want to spend 1 day or 2 days at Mesa Verde? I would like to see all the dwellings (Cliff, Long, Balcony, Spruce). Is that doable in a day. We normally see things quicker than most people do. We don't linger long at a site. Also, has anyone done the zipline? Do I want to do Monument Valley on my own, or do I want to hire a guide?

If you spend a couple night there or close by so you can have 1 full day, you can do it. Will be limited by availability of tickets to the tours for Cliff Palace, Long House and Balcony House (be sure to stop first at the Visitor's Center). Get tickets for one in morning and the others in the afternoon to allow time for travel, etc. See:http://www.nps.gov/meve

If you really want to do all that in Mesa Verde, you will need 2 days. Not knowing where you live, it takes a bit to get used to the altitude here and it is hot and dry in summer. That can make even the most fit folks have a hard time covering as much ground in Mesa Verde as you want to cover in a short period of time. You will need to be at visitor center either afternoon before or just a it opens to get tickets needed to see various dwellings. {Some can be seen without tickets}. The person selling the tickets can space the times out for you so that you can make it through one tour, drive to next spot in time etc.

Driving into the park from the main road takes a good 45 minutes to get to the visitors center. Then there is another 40 minutes to get to Long House area [open only from Memorial Day to Labor Day] and so on, so you need to plan accordingly.

I know that many folks recommend staying at Far View Lodge. It does cut down on drive time for second day. However, you can in fact stay in Cortez CO and have a wider choice of places to stay and eat at a reasonable cost [as compared to Durango].

See these threads for more info:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35044021

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34829258

Hope this helps..
Debi

Hi-we may be considering a trip to the Durango/Moab area next summer. Do you have a link or info or a website on the Durango train and zipline adventure??

www.soaringcolorado.com is the website to the zipline. Thanks everyone for the info. I don't think weather will be a factor. The heat index today in Oklahoma is 110+. At least it is dry there and no humidity. I am also wondering if I really want to see all the dwellings or would I be better off with just one. In other words, do they all look alike pretty much?

If you are considering zipline, i would also suggest Canyoneering in Arches National Park. My daughter and I did it a few months ago, and it was outstanding. www.deserthighlights.com is the only canyoneering guide allowed within Arches National Park.

My understanding is that during the busy summer season, you're only allowed to pick one guided tour a day - so either Cliff House or Balcony on one day, plus Spruce which isn't guided. The same rules probably apply to Long.

I went after Labor Day, and they allowed me to do both Cliff and Balcony in a single day. I scheduled the first tour in the morning for one sight, and then the last trip of the day for the other, with Spruce during mid-day. Unfortunately, Long was closed for the season.

For Monument Valley, the difference between guided and non-guided is where you can go. The non-guided option lets you drive the dirt roads around Monument Valley and the various overlooks. Good enough for a half day if you drive the whole thing and stop often. In the guided option, the guides are allowed to visit areas off the main park road and take you to spots that you've probably seen in photographs. They're also allowed in before sunrise and can stay out after sunset for photography in better light. What I wouldn't do is a guided tour of the main park road - there's no reason to do that.

The dirt road in the Valley of the Gods is rougher than the one at Monument Valley, so don't drive fast.

The Moki Dugway is a thrill if you don't mind heights.

The cliff dwellings do look similar but they are not the same. I would recommend doing Cliff Palace which allows you to look into the the dwellings and to do Long House which actually allows you to climb into the dwellings and walk along the inside of the rooms and look outward and see the same view as the Puebloans had when they lived there. Two very different perspectives.

You can do one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Read my thread on earlier post to learn more about Long House.

We had visitors in July who did exactly what I am suggesting and really loved the experience.

For the train:

http://www.durangotrain.com/

and I would suggest taking the train only one way [from Durango to Silverton - sit on the right side of train] and take their bus back. There isn't all that much to do or see in Silverton except gift shops and restaurants. The ride back is really the same scenery and if you go both ways, it takes up an entire day.

Hope this helps...
Debi