Mesa Verde: Southwest Colorado’s Treasured World Heritage Site
An UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the top 10 Wonders of the World, Mesa Verde National Park looms as the giant of Ancestral Puebloan ruins. Willowtail Springs is nestled a mere 10-minute drive from Mesa Verde, so there’s no need to rush through the Park in one day. With over 600 cliff dwellings and 4,300 archaeological sites spread across 50,000 acres, plan on two or three days to experience as much of Mesa Verde as possible. Still want more Native American history? No problem! The Park sits just 30-minutes from Hovenweep and Canyon of the Ancients national monuments just outside of Cortez.
After learning about the Ancestral Puebloan’s fascinating way of life and most-curious disappearance, make sure to save a day for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad – another slice of Southwest Colorado’s remarkable past. From art galleries in Mancos to museums in Durango, archaeological aficionados will find no shortage of entertainment and educational opportunities in Colorado’s land of history, mystery and endless anthropologic and geologic wonders.
Mesa Verde protects some of the best Ancestral Pueblan Archaeology in the United States.
