A Pictorial Guide to Mesa Verde National Park

MESA VERDE—the “green tableland” rises 1,500 feet above the Mancos Valley, here seen in its colorful October foliage. In the foreground, Highway 160 bears westward to the pioneer town of Mancos, 1 mile distant, and to the Park Entrance, 8 miles farther, just below the distant bulk of Ute Mountain. Beneath the bold promontory of Point Lookout the Park Entrance Highway can be seen climbing to the top of Mesa Verde.

In the Museum, at Park Headquarters, ranger-archaeologists are on duty to provide maps and guide leaflets, and to advise how to make the best use of your available time. You could spend a week in Mesa Verde’s spectacular environment, seeing something new every day and absorbing the fascinating story of 2,000 years of pre-history of the Stone Age people who built these cliff cities. But if your time is budgeted to only one day or less, the Museum Staff will help you plan your sightseeing so as to see the more important ruins as a prelude to your next—and longer—visit.