We may be in Durango for a few days and I'd like to see Mesa Verde. Is it possible to tour the main sites with a little one in a backpack carrier?

It's doable.A park ranger will make the tour.Paul

Mesa Verde is way off the beaten path; we made the mistake of not allowing enough time. Investigate distances, driving time, and schedules for seeing main sites.

It is doable BUT plan on a full day. The drive into the park is only 15 miles or so from Cortes BUT the road is awful and very slow --- at least an hour to drive in. All the main sights require a fair amount of walking - but it is up and down and your are at attitude -- don't know where you are from.

You would have no problem with a backpack carrier on the cliff-dwelling tour we took. We had a five-year-old and took the tour recommended by the park ranger for small children.

There are several different dwellings that have tours. I think some will have more challenging walks, but a ranger should be able to advise you.

I would also second the recommendation to allow enough time. With two small kids, one day was enough for us, but it is a long drive, and we only had time to tour one cliff dwelling.

We were at Mesa Verde last weekend and did the ranger-guided tours of Balcony House and Cliff Palace. A couple of people brought toddlers in the 2 - 3 years old range. Those kids did pretty well, but, the parents had to be constantly on guard. The scarier kids were the ones in the 5 - 6 years old range, whose parents would let them wander a bit. They had to be told several times to get away from the edge.

At Balcony House you will climb a 30 foot ladder, crawl through a narrow tunnel, climb a steep rock face and exit with another ladder. I'm not sure if I would want to do that with a backpack carrier. I read that the 1.2 mile Soda Canyon Overlook trail gives you a nice view of Balcony House. I didn't get a chance to hike it, so I can't recommend it one way or the other, but at least you can view the site if you are unable to tour.

Cliff Palace is much easier, but I'm not sure if your toddler will be happy during the hour tour.

Spruce Tree House is self-guided and will not be a problem with a backpack carrier.

Wetherill Mesa was closed when we visited so I can't comment if that area is easy to get around.

If you have the time and understand your limitations, I think it is still worth going for a visit. We went back this year because on our last trip we had an infant and toddler, which was enjoyable but not an active trip. On the first trip we visited the museum, visitor center, Spruce Tree House and took a short hike. It gave us a taste and we knew we would make it back someday.

www.nps.gov/meve/

wtm03 recommendations are very good and accurate. I had intended to recommend in my earlier posting that you send a night in the park at Far View West. The park can be very hot during the mid day, Arriving mid day, spending the afternoon and evening, and leaving about mid day would allow for a far more comfortable viewing and enjoyment of the park.

<<Arriving mid day, spending the afternoon and evening, and leaving about mid day...>>

I second your recommendation! This is exactly what we did and missed the worst of the heat and crowds. We arrived mid-afternoon and bought tour tickets for the last tour of Cliff House that evening and tickets for the first tour the next morning for Balcony House.

We should have done this in reverse because according to the ranger, Balcony House is in the shade in the late afternoon and Cliff House gets the morning sun. It wasn't too bad the way we toured, but the ladder at Balcony house was hot by 9:15.

We did stay at Far View Lodge and while one night was enough for me, it really is the best option (besides camping) for seeing the park in depth.

Depending on the time of year that you will be visiting, I would like to suggest Long House tour. It gets far fewer visitors and allows you to actually walk among the cliff dwellings and look out to see the same sights that the Puebloans saw.

A lot of the ruins can also be seen via short walks or scenic overviews so that you could adjust your plan should you need to do so.

A visit to Durango isn't complete without going to Mesa Verde.

Enjoy our corner of SW Colorado and if I can help with any other question, please ask or email directly. I live in the area and love to share my knowledge.

Debi

Thanks, everyone! If we go to Durango, we'll go to Mesa Verde and hope for the best.

We went to Mesa Verde and LOVED it!! What a cool place!! We stayed at the Far View Lodge for 2 nights. We bought tickets for a couple of tours (only $3 each) but didn't end up going on them. When we went for the first tour, kiddo pitched a fit about getting in his backpack carrier so we decided to skip it. Just fyi, you can see and do plenty without going on organized tours. You can check out a couple of the ruins on your own, you can take short hikes to fantastic view points, ride a tram to more lookouts and there are lots of view points right along the road.

The rangers told us that they've seen people with babies in backpacks on all of the tours, but the Balcony House might be difficult. If you can get your kid in a carrier and to stay fairly quiet for an hour, then it would be fine. During the tours the rangers talk a lot and a lot of people are trying to listen, so it wouldn't be so great if a kid was screaming the whole time. But like I said, Mesa Verde can be a very worthy experience without going on any tours.

The Far View Lodge was pretty cool. We stayed in a Kiva room that was supposed to be nicer than the standard rooms. It was very small, had a small balcony, small fridge and a/c. We didn't really really need the a/c but ran it sometimes for white noise to help the little one sleep. I was under the impression that every room had a balcony with a wonderful view but that's really not the case. They all have balconies, but some are looking at the other one story hotel buildings which are spread out. We lucked out and had a good view. I think it's first come first served, but it wouldn't hurt to ask for a good view and to check in early.

Glad you went and had such a positive experience. It is a pretty magical place. It simply blows me away when I think that the puebloans lived right there so long ago. And that much of it is exactly as it was then.

Debi