For anyone planning to visit Mesa Verde in the near future, the Spruce House has been closed for an extended period of time. There is a problem with loose rock and the possibility of a rock slide. It can be viewed from a distance but walking through the area is restricted.

That's unfortunate; it's one of 2 of my favorites (Long House is the other). The most amazing visit I had at Spruce was in the winter just before Christmas. The had evening walks where the cliff dwellings were lit by laterns and the path was lined with luminarias. There was flute music too. Magical.

That's really too bad. The people who can't handle thee ladders at the ranger led sites now have no place to really visit one.

It is the time of year for rock slides and it is a natural process. I-70 has been closed for a week in Glenwood Canyon and probably will be closed for another. Boulders the size of small trucks fell on and through the roadway.

The time of year has nothing to do with the spruce House closing or the rock fall (destabilization of the arch above).