This is our third visit to Mesa Verde National Park. This year we camped out at Morehead campground at an elevation of about 8,000 feet. I made good use of our solar panel as there is no electric at our campsite. The park has added electric sites on one loop since we visited back in 2016 however you have to make your reservations well in advance to get one.
The last night of our stay we took a hike on the knife edge hiking trail which starts at the south end of the campground. The view from this spectacular trail overlooks the valley below as it traverses just below the cliffs of the Mesa. This is one of our favorite hikes in the park.
During our visit in 2016 we took tours of several of the cliff dwellings. The following images our from that visit. Back then we took ranger led hikes to Balcony House & Cliff House.
This year we visited Mancos, a beautiful an intriguing western Colorado town not far from the entrance of Mesa Verde National Park. We enjoyed the interesting shops and unique art oriented nature of this charming town.
Mesa Verde National Park
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| Barbara relaxing by our campsite at Morehead campground |
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| Our campsite, notice our ACO 105 watt solar panel mounted on top of our trailer |
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| Barbara on the knifes edge trail |
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| The spectacular Mesa's of Mesa Verde National Park |
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| Snow capped peak in the San Juan mountain chain |
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| You can see for miles with spectacular views in all directions |
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| Rocks stacked near the trail |
During our visit in 2016 we took tours of several of the cliff dwellings. The following images our from that visit. Back then we took ranger led hikes to Balcony House & Cliff House.
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| Visitors Center |
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| Mesa Verde |
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| Step House self guided tour |
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| Collared Lizard |
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| Cliff House Ranger led tour |
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| Ladder near entrance to Cliff House The gentleman in the background is a hiker who we meet from Iowa |
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| The Climb out of Cliff House |
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| Balcony House Ranger led tour |
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| 35 foot ladder up to Balcony House |
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| Barbara's Indiana Jones moment |
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| Keva gathering place |
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| 20 step ladder out of Balcony House |
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| Last steps out of Balcony House |
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| Panoramic views of Mesa Verde |
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| Sun Temple |
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| View points of of cliff dwellings from loop drive |
This year we visited Mancos, a beautiful an intriguing western Colorado town not far from the entrance of Mesa Verde National Park. We enjoyed the interesting shops and unique art oriented nature of this charming town.
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| The beautiful snow capped San Juan mountains as seen from Mancos, NM |
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| Old farm machinery in one of Mancos town parks |
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| The river was full of snow melt coming from the San Juan mountains |
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| Muriel on one of the walls of the shops in town |
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| The Mancos Inn Hostel is a great place to stay when in town |
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| The Museum is a great stop when in town |
Mesa Verde National Park
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