Mesa Verde National Park preserves the cliff dwellings and surface sites of the Anasazi, or ancestral Puebloan people, who lived in the area between 500 and 1300. Mesa Verde means "green table" in Spanish.

Fourteen centuries of history are displayed at Mesa Verde National Park, a world center for exploring the ancient culture of the Ancestral Puebloan people. Established by Congress in 1906, Mesa Verde is the first national park set aside in order to preserve the work of humankind. In 1978, UNESCO, an organization formed by the United Nations to preserve and protect the cultural and natural heritage of international sites, designated Mesa Verde as a World Cultural Heritage Park.

• Entrance road open daily.
• Cliff dwelling loop drive open daily from 7:00 a.m. to sunset.
• Cliff Palace/Balcony House Loop open only for cross-country skiing or walking in Winter.
• Cliff Palace is generally open from April through October.
• Balcony House is open from mid-May through mid-October.
• Wetherill Mesa Road is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, daily, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• See Operating Hours and Seasons for current information.

• The Park entrance is midway between Cortez and Mancos on US 160. It is 21 miles from the entrance to the museum and the Chapin Mesa ruins area.  The Morefield Campground is 4 miles from the entrance. The Far View Visitor Center is 15 miles from the entrance.
• Get directions from Google Maps.
• Get directions from MapQuest.
• NPS Directions.

• The Park's best weather is in May, September, and October.
• NPS Weather Conditions.
• See area weather chart.
• See Canyon Country Weather for more information.
• Sunrise/Sunset

• No pets in cliff dwellings or on trails. Leashed pets elsewhere.
• Trailers and towed vehicles are not permitted beyond Morefield Campground. All towed vehicles must be parked at the entrance parking area or the Morefield Village parking area.
• Smoking is restricted to the parking areas.
• Hiking in Mesa Verde National Park is restricted and allowed only on designated trails. Visitors may not enter cliff dwellings unless accompanied by a uniformed park ranger.
• Do not sit, stand, climb, or lean on fragile archaeological structures.
• See National Park Service Restrictions and Regulations.
• See American Antiquities Act of 1906.
• See Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979.
• Archaeological Resources Protection Act Hotline: 800-227-7286.
• See Pets in the Parks and Backcountry.
• See Encountering Wild Animals.

• Plan ahead for guided tours, which require advance tickets from the Far View Visitor Center.
• See Backcountry Considerations.
• See Backcountry Emergencies.
• NPS News Updates.

• About Maps
• Chapin Mesa Map
• Colorado Atlas and Gazetteer Topo Maps
• Colorado Maps

• Headquarters and Chapin Mesa Area Map
• Park Map
• Wetherill Mesa Map

• A Field Guide to Rock Art Symbols of the Greater Southwest
• Ambiguous Images: Gender and Rock Art
• Ancient Ruins of the Southwest
• Canyon Country Prehistoric Rock Art
• Cliff Palace—A Guide
• Colorado Handbook
• Complete Guide to America's National Parks
• Far View—A Guide
• Far View: An Ancient Farming Community—A Guide
• Hiking Ruins Seldom Seen
• Indian Rock Art of the Southwest
• Mesa Top: From Pithouse to Pueblo—A Guide
• Mesa Top Ruins—A Guide

• Message on Stone: Selections of Native Western Rock Art
• Park Point: Mesa Verde National Park—A Guide
• Puebloan Ruins of the Southwest
• Rock Art Along the Way
• Rock-Art of the Southwest
• Rocky Mountain and Mesa Verde National Parks
• Spruce Tree House—A Guide
• The Colorado Plateau
• The Sierra Club Guides to the National Parks: Desert Southwest
• The Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: The Desert States
• Those Who Came Before
• Wetherill and Step House—A Guide