/Ancient Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park

Ancient Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park

Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park

The cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park in southern Colorado were unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.  These buildings were constructed from sandstone by ancient Puebloan (also known as Anasazi) communities, who opted to build under the overhanging cliffs for added protection.

Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park

Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park

The Puebloans lived here 1,400 years ago (that’s around 700 CE!) and stayed for hundreds of years before eventually building these elaborate stone communities in the alcoves of Mesa Verde’s canyon walls.

Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park

Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park

The communities grew crops and hunted game on the mesa tops, which they reached by hand-and-toe-hold trails pecked into the canyon walls.  We found it remarkable (well, remarkably scary!) that they chiseled toe-holds into the stone so they could climb up the rock face as part of their daily commute.

In the two photos below you can see remnants of these trails still visible in the sandstone (although in this specific location it’s likely that they also had a simple ladder in place, as well).

Oak Tree House at Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

Stone Ladder at Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

Canyon at Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

Beginning in late April and continuing throughout the summer and into the fall, visitors can explore all of the cliff dwellings and go on ranger-led tours into the most popular areas, including the Cliff Palace.  However, because of the time of year we visited (early April), park activities were fairly restricted.  Despite not being able to tour the palace, thought, we did get to see an awesome view of it from the Mesa Top Loop overlook.

Can you spot the Cliff Palace in this photo?

Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

The Spruce Tree House, the only dwelling open for exploration (in this case, via a self-guided tour), was accessible via a short hike from the museum.  You couldn’t really walk through the dwellings themselves, but that wasn’t necessary to get a sense of what a phenomenal feat it would have been to build these apartment-sized buildings nearly a thousand years ago.

WOW.

Spruce Tree House Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park

Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National ParkCliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National ParkCliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National ParkCliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National ParkCliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park