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Photo: Tobi 87 / CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Canyons & deserts

Mesa Verde National Park

Cortez, CO · Four Corners, Southwest Colorado$30 per vehicle May 1 to Oct 22, $20 Oct 23 to Apr 30

About

Ancestral Pueblo people built most of the roughly 600 cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, in southwest Colorado, between 1180 and 1280 CE. Tickets for the ranger-led tours into the dwellings go on sale at recreation.gov 14 days ahead, at 8 a.m. Mountain time. They're digital only, so screenshot yours before you lose cell service. Balcony House has a 32-foot ladder and a 12-foot tunnel, and on every tour children have to climb the ladders themselves. The tour sites are 20 to 21 miles south of the entrance, about 45 minutes on a steep, winding road. The dwellings close for winter, but the 6-mile Mesa Top Loop stays open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset, and from Sun Point View you can still see Cliff Palace.

Highlights

Cliff Palace view from Sun PointBalcony House ladder and tunnelAbout 600 cliff dwellings6-mile Mesa Top LoopWorld Heritage Site and Dark Sky Park

Getting there

Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330

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The United States National Parks63 places

The United States National Parks

All 63, for anyone keeping count, with the famous ones up top and the quieter ones further down.