#1 Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park

Visited by McDowell Family: June 3-9, 2017

Mancos, Colorado

Established June 26, 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt established Mesa Verde National Park to "preserve the works of man," the first national park of its kind.

Tent camped at Mancos State Campground, 7 nights

First off, it’s a cuesta. Not a mesa.

cues·ta

ˈkwestə/

noun

GEOLOGY

1.    a ridge with a gentle slope (dip) on one side and a steep slope (scarp) on the other.

me·sa

ˈmāsə/

noun

1.    an isolated flat-topped hill with steep sides, found in landscapes with horizontal strata.

I didn’t know there was any such thing, but now I see them everywhere!

And if anyone wants to recreate these amazing lodgings in the side of the canyon walls, we will gladly book a stay with you. They are so amazing. All inclusive, water seeps right from the walls, warm and/or cool when needed, amazing views. They’re a little tough to navigate to by having to climb up and down steep paths and tall ladders.

And their “doors”? More like windows, tiny windows. These were a little people. It was very entertaining to watch my 6’4” husband try to maneuver the openings.

BTW, the “ancestral puebloans” is now the politically correct term for the ancient people who lived there long ago. They no longer say “Anasazi”. The term “Anasazi” means “enemy of the natives”. These guys weren’t enemies! They were easy-going, creative and intelligent. There doesn’t appear there to be any aggressive behavior in their history at all. They were even vegetarians, surviving mainly on corn and beans.

These people intrigued us quite a bit. Why did they move into the cliffs? Why did they stay only 100 years? Where did they really go? We spent some time around the campfire discussing these interesting questions and developing our own hypotheses.

My theory is that they got really bored of eating only corn and just had to move on to find a new crop. We tried listing corn dishes, but something tells me they didn’t have corn chowder or corn frites? My husband thinks that they wore out the soil and entered a time of famine.

While in Mesa Verde, don't be fearful of the tours with kids (they do sound scary). Instead, be one of the very few who go beyond just staring at the park from above and actually descend down into it. 

Participate in the tours, read the history, go to the Ranger’s presentations, camp in the park. Learn all you can. It brings it all to life. This goes for all of the parks. By doing this, our lives have been enriched already.

We spent two days in the actual park. The first day we explored the views of the dwellings from the rims while we waited for our tours to begin. We toured Cliff Palace and Balcony House. Balcony House was by far, our favorite. The second day we explored Weatherill Mesa by bike. We took the 6 mile loop and explored the ruins on the mesa tops. It was hot. But, a fairly easy and short ride. 

Andrew decided he would like to live in the cliff dwellings. They would make a very fascinating airbnb listing, that's for sure. The small tunnels and 32 foot ladder climbs may be a slight deterrant to some, however. But don't let those things stop you from visiting with small kids.

If you've been to Mesa Verde, what is your favorite memory? I will never forget climbing that 32-foot ladder side by side with my son. It was nerve wracking and yet, here we survived!

Mesa Verde Videos and Reading List

Our first National Park, 58 to go!

Cliff Palace 

View of Cliff Palace from above

Cliff Palace

That's my rear end on the right and Drew is on the left climbing a 32 foot ladder in Balcony House.