To visit the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde, you will need to book a ranger-guided tour of sites like Cliff Palace and Balcony House, as these are only accessible with a guide.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at recreation.gov and are required for these more adventurous tours, which involve climbing ladders and navigating narrow passageways.
You can pair these guided tours with Shaka Guide’s Mesa Verde National Park Tour for a comprehensive visit to the park!
As far as cliff houses you can visit on your own, Spruce Tree House is sometimes accessible via a self-guided tour, but, as of 2024, the site is closed indefinitely due to safety concerns.
However, you can still get a great view of this cliff house from behind the Chapin Mesa Museum. There is, however, one cliff house that can still be visited without a guide, and that’s Step House on Wetherill Mesa Road.
Check the NPS to be sure that the road and the site are currently open, and be aware that Wetherill Mesa Road is not accessible in the winter.
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