Although we had visited Mesa Verde before, we were back in the area and wanted to see it again. From Cortez, CO it\u2019s just a few minutes to the entrance of the National Park, although once past the entrance it\u2019s about a half hour to get to any of the sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, the loop road that includes the Cliff Palace and the Balcony House was closed for road work while we were there. And, other ruins that are accessible through a guided tour had limited people per tour and we were unable to get tickets to any of them. Jeff visited both during our previous visit but I did not, partly because of the hike up and back and also the Balcony House access is through a 12-foot long small tunnel that you have to crawl on your hands and knees to get through. With my claustrophobia I didn\u2019t even want to attempt!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, there is one set of ruins, the Step House, that can be viewed on a self-guided tour. We hiked almost a mile to get to the ruins. It was downhill the whole way, which means it was uphill the whole way back! As it is at about 8,000ft I had trouble going uphill and we stopped several times to catch our breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, it was really nice to be able to see some ruins up close!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also drove on a loop road that provides the best vantage point to see the Cliff Palace. Near that viewpoint there is a small structure called the Sun Temple that we were able to walk around and see as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here<\/a> is the blog entry from our last visit, and here are pictures of this visit:<\/p>\n\n\n