Mesa Verde National Park

For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, the park protects the rich cultural heritage of 27 Pueblos and Tribes and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past. This World Heritage Site and International Dark Sky Park is home to over a thousand species, including several that live nowhere else on earth.

Ancestral Pueblo People of Mesa Verde

About 1,400 years ago, long before Europeans explored North America, a group of people living in the Four Corners region chose Mesa Verde for their home. For more than 700 years they and their descendants lived and flourished here, eventually building elaborate stone communities in the sheltered alcoves of the canyon walls. Then, in the late A.D. 1200s, in the span of a generation or two, they left their homes and moved away. Mesa Verde National Park preserves a spectacular reminder of this ancient culture.

Use the following links to learn more about the Ancestral Pueblo people of Mesa Verde. (To get the Free Adobe Reader, which is required to read the pdf file, click here.)

• Illustrated scene of Spruce Tree House
• Ancestral Pueblo People and Their World (pdf, 552 kb)
• Today's 26 Associated Tribes of Mesa Verde (pdf, 154 kb)

Biodiversity

Habitats in Mesa Verde support a great diversity of wildlife including resident and migratory mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and invertebrates. Because of Mesa Verde’s protected status, many plant and animal species that have disappeared or are rarely seen in the region still exist at the park, including breeding pairs of peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) and Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida). Many species of rare plants survive on protected park lands. Some of these rare plants, such as the Cliff Palace milkvetch (Astragalus deterior), are endemic to Mesa Verde and are found nowhere else.

Be Safe & Know the Rules

You can help preserve the park's unique resources by knowing and following these basic regulations. More policies, such as the Superintendent's Compendium, can be found on the Laws & Policies page.

Park Rules • Mesa Verde’s backcountry is closed. It is illegal to hike off trail. • Camping is allowed only in designated campground. • Marijuana is illegal on federal land, including national parks. • Drones are illegal in national parks. • Archeological resources are fragile and protected. Please do not touch, climb, sit, or lean on ancient walls.

Plan Ahead You will drive at least 50 miles (80 km) to visit Mesa Verde's cliff dwellings. Don't run out of gas. Morefield Campground is the only place in the park to fill up. Most of the park is remote and without reliable cell service.

For more important information, please visit National Park Service.