Mesa Verde National Park - Monument Valley, AZ

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Mesa Verde National Park


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Mesa Verde National Park, Spanish for "green table", offers an unparalleled opportunity to see and experience a unique cultural and physical landscape. The culture represented at Mesa Verde reflects more than 700 years of history. From approximately A.D. 600 through A.D. 1300 people lived and flourished in communities throughout the area, eventually building elaborate stone villages in the sheltered alcoves of the canyon walls. Today most people call these sheltered villages "cliff dwellings". The cliff dwellings represent the last 75 to 100 years of occupation at Mesa Verde. In the late 1200s within the span of one or two generations, they left their homes and moved away.

The archeological sites found in Mesa Verde are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. Mesa Verde National Park offers visitors a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people. Scientists study the ancient dwellings of Mesa Verde, in part, by making comparisons between the Ancestral Pueblo people and their contemporary indigenous descendants who still live in the Southwest today. Twenty-four Native American tribes in the southwest have an ancestral affiliation with the sites at Mesa Verde.

To fully enjoy Mesa Verde National Park, plan to spend a day or two exploring its world-class archeological sites as well as its beautiful landscape. The entrance to the park is 9 miles east of Cortez and 35 miles west of Durango in Southwestern Colorado on US Highway 160.

Facilities: Restrooms and drinking water are provided at Mesa Verde National Park.

Reservations: Reservations are not needed or accepted to use Mesa Verde National Park.

Best Time To Visit: Mesa Verde National Park is open year round, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Fees: An admission fee is charged.

Accessibility: Unknown

Rules: There are a variety of rules to consider when visiting a National park. Please check in with the visitor center for further information.

Directions: To reach Mesa Verde National Park from Cortez, travel east on U.S. Highway 160 to the park turn off.

Address

Mesa Verde National Park

PO Box 8

Mesa Verde, Colorado 81330-0008

Phone
General: (970) 529-4465
Fax: (970) 529-4637

Website

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