National Park Service LogoU.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNational Park Service
National Park Service: U.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park Service Arrowhead
 
 
Support the National Park Service
Mesa Verde National ParkHistoric photo of Cliff Palace
view map
text size:largestlargernormal
printer friendly
Mesa Verde National Park
Directions

Plane

The nearest airports are Cortez, Colorado, Durango, Colorado, and Farmington, New Mexico.

Car

Mesa Verde National Park is in Southwestern Colorado. The Mesa Verde Headquarters is a one-hour drive from Cortez, Colorado, heading east on Highway 160 to the park turnoff, and a 1.5 hour drive from Durango, Colorado, heading west on Highway 160 to the park turnoff.

Public Transportation

The closest bus terminal is located in Durango, Colorado. Car rental is needed to get from the bus terminal to the park. The entrance to Mesa Verde is 35 miles from Durango.

Getting Around

A vehicle is needed to see Mesa Verde.

The first view of a cliff dwelling is 21 miles (approximately 45 minutes) past the entrance station along a steep, narrow, winding road.
View of mesas  

Did You Know?
The Ancestral Puebloans inhabited Mesa Verde for more than 700 years (550 A.D. to 1300 A.D.), but for the first six centuries, they primarily lived on the mesa tops. It was not until the final 75 to 100 years that they constructed and lived in the cliff dwellings for which Mesa Verde is known.

Disclaimer Accessibility Privacy Policy FOIA Notices USA.gov

Last Updated: July 25, 2006 at 00:23 EST