One of the crown jewels of Southwest Colorado is seeing the Pueblo dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park. We had no idea that the park was so mountainous! Definitely the most challenging driving David has done yet in the RV. Well worth it, though, even with the downside that we could not actually tour the dwellings because of Covid. Guess it’s something to come back for and do with our kids someday! We drove the whole park over a couple of days and got to see all the dwellings from afar. It’s really amazing how the Anasazi people built these cities here and survived for a long time. There were a few short hikes we took to look out points viewing the canyon and some of the dwellings.
Spruce Tree HouseClosest we could get to the Cliff PalaceCan you see the cliffside dwelling on the right?Balcony House – Natives of all ages would make this climb, sometimes multiple times a day!Zoomed in view of Balcony HouseThe oldest Pueblo dwellings, these pit houses, predate the cliff structures. They’re now covered for preservation from the elementsThese pit houses originally had roofs of sticks/grass/straw/ mudVent holes dug all that snaked into the side of the ground dwellings for fresh air ventillationThis was the deepest pit house – we thought it looked kind of like an igloo! You can see where the air vent is dug flowing into the left sideThe Cliff Palace from a different angleThe Sun TempleSun Temple’s purpose is a mystery today. There are no entrance ways, it’s completely enclosed except for “window” holes a few feet wide Zoomed in shots of the Cliff PalaceGolden Eagle….?Driving back down the mountains and mesas to our campsiteKnife’s Edge Road, which I’m standing on, was one of the original entrance roads to the park (built in 1914). It has all but eroded away todayA little bit downslope from the “Knife’s Edge” formation, you can see a bit of a ledge, which is the remnants of the old roadPark Point Fire LookoutPark Point in Mesa Verde is known as one of the grandest views in the entire US. On a clear day, you can see for hundreds of miles in every directionYou can see 4 different states from Park Point: CO, UT, AZ, and NMPark Point
We stayed in Durango for just one night on our way back to Denver to catch a flight. We hope to stay longer next time as we didn’t get too much time to explore. Steamworks Brewing was a fun stop for dinner and beers.
Hoppy Purpose 