You’ll have to take your car on any Mesa Verde National Park tours since there’s not much by way of public transportation there. While the park’s borders start right next to Highway 160, it’s a bit of a drive to reach any of the interesting archaeological sites.
We would recommend stopping at the Visitor Center by the park entrance so you can plan out the rest of your visit to minimize driving time. Once you enter Mesa Verde National Park, it takes about 45 minutes of driving to reach your first view of one of the park’s famous cliff dwellings.
Mesa Verde National Park has a single main road that leads to all the historical sites you might want to see. However, the road splits partway through the park, so seeing everything will require you to do a little backtracking. One fork runs along Chapin Mesa and leads to the Spruce Tree House, Balcony House, and Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in North America.
The other fork runs down Wetherill Mesa and leads to the Step House and the Long House. It takes about an hour to drive from the park entrance to Cliff Palace at the end of the eastern fork and 90 minutes from the entrance to the Long House at the western fork, but it’ll be another 90 minutes if you want to drive from the end of one fork to the end of the other.
Cycling is also allowed on the roads at Mesa Verde National Park, although it can take a while to get anywhere. Bicycles aren’t allowed on the trails, so make sure you stick to the road if you’re pedaling around the park.
To make the most of your trip, check out our Mesa Verde Self-Guided Driving Tour, or you can sign up for Action+ and gain access to over 100 tours for a single yearly price.
