Please help me plan my Mesa Verde day
 

What time should we leave Durango? Do we need to make a choice on what tour at what time? It sounds like Balcony House with the ladders etc should be our top priority? Do you see the petroglyphs on your own? How long of a hike to them? Please help me make the most of our one day from Durango. Traveling June 22nd. Thanks

It will most likely be hot, so get there early.

Here's a link telling you how to plan your day and where to buy tour tickets. I didn't do Balcony House, as I'm not a fan of heights, but I enjoyed the Cliff Palace tour.

http://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisi...ffdwelling.htm

Lee Ann

Leave as early as possible and plan to spend a full day. It will be light til 8 at least, so you can really get it all done.

It is a 45 minute drive from Durango to the entrance [more if you are staying in northern end of town]. It is then another 30 or more [depending on traffic] minutes to the visitors center where you get your tour tickets.

Once you get to the visitors center, you can buy your tour tickets. They are pretty good at giving you the appropriate times for the tickets, to enable you to get from one location to the other.

Petroglyph trail is done on your own. It should take about 2 hours at a moderate pace.

You can get your tickets for Balcony and Cliff in the morning and then do Spruce Tree on your own, later on. IF you can't get both tours in the morning, work in either the hike or Spruce Tree.

Petroglyph Trail:

https://picasaweb.google.com/DebitNM...JK6v9Gd4LrKQA#

Thanks for the links. Great photos!

Are the three tours different enough to do all three?

If it is very crowded when you go, you might be limited as to the number of tours you can take. In any case, do the loop road and stop at the pull offs for great views of the ruins from the other side of the canyon.

BTW, if you are coming from sea level, be prepared for some difficulty hiking at elevation, Petroglyph trail took us 3 hrs.