The Major Cliff Dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park

Visiting Mesa Verde National Park and trying to figure out which cliff dwellings you absolutely cannot miss? You’re in the right place.

Mesa Verde is home to some of the most remarkable archaeological sites in the entire United States – but not all dwellings are equally accessible, open year-round, or part of ranger-led tours. It can get confusing fast, especially if it’s your first visit.

I’ve explored Mesa Verde’s cliff dwellings on different trips – taking guided tours, walking the overlooks, and visiting some of the quieter spots most people skip. I’ve felt the awe of standing inside a centuries-old dwelling… and the disappointment of showing up somewhere only to realize it required a ticket or was temporarily closed. I’ll help you avoid that.

This guide is best for visitors who want a clear, straightforward breakdown of Mesa Verde’s major cliff dwellings – what makes each one special, how to visit them, and which ones belong on your personal must-see list.

Whether you want the iconic experience of exploring Cliff Palace, the adventurous scramble into Balcony House, or the more peaceful atmosphere around Long House, I’ll walk you through what to expect so you can plan with confidence.

Let’s take a closer look at the cliff dwellings that define Mesa Verde and why they’re so unforgettable.

Although there are several Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings in Colorado, Mesa Verde cliff dwellings are the most famous, well-preserved and concentrated in a fairly compact area.  Which makes seeing several of them during your visit to the national park relatively easy. 

Cliff Palace 

The Cliff Palace is the largest and most famous Mesa Verde cliff dwelling.   

The Mesa Verde National Park cliff palace was built between 1190 CE and 1260 CE and abandoned by 1300 CE.  No one is quite sure why the dwellings were abandoned, though droughts and lack of food are thought to be likely reasons. 

There are 150 rooms and 23 kivas (round sunken ceremonial rooms).  It was home to about 100 people/ 25 families at its height.

Despite its name, it was not actually a palace, but is thought to have been a ceremonial site, as well as residence.  The site has been stabilized and partially reconstructed.   

You can see the dwelling in its entirety from an overlook before or after the tour and then walk through it.  This is one cliff dwelling not to miss. 

Location: Chapin Mesa  

How to visit Cliff Palace: Ranger-assisted tour 

What to Expect 

The tour starts at the Cliff Palace Overlook.  There are uneven steps, some areas with no handrails and four ladders (each 8 feet/ 2.6 m to 10 feet/ 3 m high) to climb down.   

Total elevation change is 100 feet/ 30m.  Total walking distance is about 1.4 miles / 400m roundtrip. You will go down to the dwelling and walk along the front of it.  At one point, you can look down into the kivas.   

Total time: Approximately 45 minutes 

How to Get Tickets 

🔹Cliff Palace tour tickets need to be purchased online – see above for full details.
🔹Tours are usually available from early May to late October.

Long House 

Long House is the second largest of the Mesa Verde National Park cliff dwellings.  It has about 150 rooms and 21 kivas. There is a large dance plaza resembling ceremonial plazas used in modern Pueblo villages today. About 100 to 150 people may have lived there at its height, in the mid 1200s CE.    

Location: Wetherill Mesa  

How to visit Long House: Ranger-assisted tour 

What to Expect 

The tour begins and ends at the Long House trailhead (about a 20-minute, 0.75-mile/ 1.2km hike from the Wetherill Mesa Kiosk). Make sure you are at the trailhead (not the kiosk) at the start of your tour time. 

It’s a 2.25-mile/ 3.6-km roundtrip hike in total, which is quite a bit longer than Cliff Palace and Balcony House.   

To get there, the trail is paved, but goes down some fairly steep switchbacks.  You will need to climb two 15-foot (4.5m) ladders within the site.  Unlike many of the dwellings, you actually walk through the site, rather than just in front of it. One of the kivas has a roof (most don’t anymore). 

Total time: The tour is 60 minutes, but the National Park Service recommend allowing 1.5-2 hours in total, including the tour and the walk between the kiosk and the Long House trailhead. 

How to Get Tickets 

🔹Long House tour tickets need to be purchased online – see above for full details.
🔹Ranger–assisted tours are usually available late May to late October.

Balcony House

Balcony House is not the largest cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde, but, when it is open for tours, is the most adventurous of the main tours.  It was a mid-sized village with 38 rooms and two kivas and housed up to 30 people. It has been stabilized, excavated and partially reconstructed. 

Location: Chapin Mesa  

How to visit Balcony House:

🔹Ranger-guided tours are available May to October
🔹Tickets need to be purchased online

What to Expect 

The tour starts at the Balcony House parking area. You start by descending 100 feet/ 30 meters down stairs, then climb up a 32-foot / 9.7-meter ladder.  The ladder is very wide (two people can be side by side easily) and the rungs are thick and easy to hold on to. 

You then enter the first half of the village.  It’s in great condition, and you can peer through a window into the second section.  You have to walk around the circular kivas in the ground. 

Then, there is a 12-foot/ 3.6-meter tunnel that you need to crawl through.  It is only 18 inches/ 45.7 cm wide, so if you are on the heavier side, you should know this in advance to make sure you will fit through it. 

Once you’ve crawled through, you need to climb up more ladders and steep steps to get back to the top.  It’s interactive and interesting, but you need to be up for the challenge.   

Total time: Approximately 60 minutes 

How to Get Tickets 

🔹Purchase them online.

Spruce Tree House

Spruce Tree House is the third largest – and best-preserved – cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde.  There are about 130 rooms and 8 kivas and was home to about 60 to 80 people.  It was built around 1211 CE to 1278 CE by the ancestral Puebloan people.   

Location: Chapin Mesa  

How to visit Spruce Tree House: Can only be seen from overlook 

What to Expect 

Unfortunately, it’s closed to visitors because of safety concerns.  However, you get a great view of it from behind the Chapin Archaeological Museum.  

Spring House

Spring House is the largest unexcavated cliff dwelling in the park.  It has 86 rooms and seven kivas. It is rarely open for visits, so a visit there is a special opportunity.  

Location: Chapin Mesa  

How to visit Spring House: Special tour/ backcountry hike 

What to Expect 

Spring House is reached after a long hike through the park’s backcountry.  The total trail length is 8 miles / 12.9 km and has an elevation change of 1,500 feet / 457 m, so you need to be fit to do it.   

The trail starts at the Chapin Archaeological Museum and descends into Navajo Canyon.  Along the way, you can see Echo House, Teakettle House and the Navajo Watch Tower in the distance. 

The trail starts to climb up the side of Wickiup Canyon, with a good view of Buzzard House across the canyon along the way.  It reaches the top of Long Mesa, and there are steep drop offs.  There is a view of 20.5 House before arriving at Spring House. 

To reach Spring House, which is below the top of Long Mesa, there are two ladders, some ropes and a narrow rocky trail to navigate.  You don’t enter the site, but can see it well from a platform at the southern edge of the dwelling.   

The national parks service recommends good hiking shoes/ boots (read my Guide to the Best Hiking Shoes/ Boots if you need to get some), lunch and snacks and at least one gallon/ 4 liters of water.  Make sure you have everything on my Day Hike Essentials list. 

Total time: Approximately 8 hours 

How to Get Tickets 

🔹This house is not open for visitors every year.

Step House

This is a fairly small site, with a cliff dwelling, pit house and some petroglyphs. 

Location: Wetherill Mesa  

How to visit Step House:  You can visit yourself on a self-guided tour 

What to Expect 

You will descend about 100 feet/ 30m down a winding path (that you return up). The total hike is about one mile (1.6 km) round-trip. The trail begins near the Wetherill Mesa Kiosk.  There is a ranger there to answer questions. 

Total time: Approximately 45 minutes 

How to Get Tickets 

🔹Tickets are not necessary, but it’s only open late May to late October. Closed Some years.

Mug House

This dwelling is named for three mugs that were found hanging tied together with yucca rope inside one of its rooms when it was “discovered”.  Mug House is a large dwelling, with 94 rooms and eight kivas housing about 80 to 100 people at its height.  It dates from the late 1100s and early 1200s CE.  

Location: Wetherill Mesa  

How to visit Mug House: Special tour/ backcountry hike 

What to Expect 

About 0.5 miles from the parking lot, the ranger leads you down through scrub until you get to the edge of a large cliff.  There, you use the same hand and foot holds that the Ancient Puebloans carved into the cliff to descend below the mesa top.

The trail passes a large snake pictograph and evidence of fires burned by the original inhabitants of this area. There are great views of Rock Canyon.  

Mug House is large, but not fully excavated.  As in several of the other dwellings visited on the special tours, you can still see remains of life in the space, such as corncobs, shards of pottery, etc.   

This is a strenuous 3-mile / 4.8-km round trip hike on an uneven trail that includes some switchbacks and steep drop offs. 

Total time: Approximately 1.5 hours 

How to Get Tickets 

🔹Mug House tours/ hikes are not offered every year.

Square Tower House

Square Tower House is named after the three-storey square tower that is the dominant feature of the dwelling. 

High above the tower, in a small crevice and bricked in, there is a Crow’s Nest.  On the ground, there is a kiva with its original roof and ample ruins to explore.  These can only be seen on the tour, as they are not visible from the mesa top.

There are several small petroglyphs that the ranger can help point out. It’s a fairly small, but fascinating dwelling.  

Location: Chapin Mesa  

How to visit Square Tower House: Special tour/ backcountry hike 

What to Expect 

Square Tower House is one of my favorite Mesa Verde sites.  It is reached on a short but adventurous one-mile/ 2.6 km round trip trail. 

You descend down two steep, narrow ladders (the longest is 20 feet / 6.1m), along narrow trails and steep steps with ropes to hold on to and even down footholds carved into the rock face that the original cliff dwellers used to access the dwelling.   

When you get there, you can walk along the front of the dwelling and you are allowed to walk in one small section of the complex. 

Total time: Approximately 1.5 hours 

How to Get Tickets 

🔹Square Tower House 90-minute tours/ hikes are offered some years starting late May
🔹Tickets need to be purchased online – see above for full details.  There are only 10 people on each tour, so if you hope to do this, book the second that tickets go on sale.

Oak Tree House 

Special tours are not available every year, but this may be seen from an overlook.  Special tours run some years, and also include climbing down steep steps and ladders.  It’s a fairly small site to explore.  

Enjoy the Mesa Verde ruins!

More Planning Resources for Mesa Verde National Park

⭐ Mesa Verde National Park Guide
⭐ Planning A Trip to Mesa Verde National Park: 7 Mistakes to Avoid
⭐ How to Visit Mesa Verde National Park
⭐ 10 Tips For Visiting Mesa Verde National Park
⭐ The 10 Best Mesa Verde Hikes Not to Miss
⭐ The 10 Best Things to Do in & Around Mesa Verde National Park
⭐ Visiting Mesa Verde National Park: What To Expect Throughout the Year
⭐ How to Get to Mesa Verde National Park
⭐ Best Time To Visit Mesa Verde National Park
⭐ The Airports Near Mesa Verde National Park
⭐ The Closest Airport to Mesa Verde National Park
⭐ 10 Fun Facts About Mesa Verde National Park
⭐ The Best Airbnb Durango

What are your favorite cliff dwellings? Colorado / Mesa Verde NP has plenty of others.  I’d love to hear about them.  Join my private Facebook group National Parks Collectors and comment and let me know. 

About the Author 

James Ian is a national park, camping and hiking expert.

He has dedicated his life to travel, visiting more than 80 countries, all 7 continents and most of the national parks in the United States. With over 35 years experience in the travel industry, James has worked on cruise ships, at resorts and hotels, and as a travel planner who’s helped hundreds of people plan successful trips to US national parks.

Based on his experience visiting our national parks multiple times, in-depth research and expertise as a travel planner, James has published detailed itineraries for many of the major national parks in the US. These itineraries, as well as in-depth park guides, and other resources will help you have your own incredible trip to US national parks without stress and hassle.

As a national park expert, James has contributed to many publications, including USA Today, Newsweek, Time Business News, Savoteur, Best Trip, and Wired.

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