Cliff Dwellings - U.S. National Park Service
The cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde are some of the most notable and best preserved in North America. Sometime during the late 1190s, after primarily living on the mesa tops for 600 years, many Ancestral Pueblo people began moving into pueblos they built into natural cliff alcoves.
Cliff Dwelling Tours - U.S. National Park Service
Square Tower House is one of Mesa Verde's most impressive cliff dwellings. Visitors to the Mesa Top Loop can get a great view from the overlook, but intrepid hikers are treated to an adventurous and intimate look inside Square Tower House on this special ranger-guided tour.
Spruce Tree House - U.S. National Park Service
Aug 1, 2020 · Spruce Tree House, the third largest cliff dwelling (Cliff Palace and Long House are larger), was constructed between about 1211 and 1278 CE by the ancestors of the Pueblo peoples of the Southwest.
Long House - Mesa Verde National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Bicycle or hike the 5-mile Long House Loop which leads to various trailheads such as Badger House Community, Kodak House Overlook, Long House Overlook, and the Nordenskiold Site #16 trails.
Step House - Mesa Verde National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
May 29, 2024 · The Step House alcove is unique at Mesa Verde because it provides clear archeological evidence of two separate occupations—a Basketmaker III (BM III) pithouse community dating to early 600s CE, and a Pueblo III (P III) masonry pueblo dating to the 1200s.
Introduction & Pithouse - U.S. National Park Service
Oct 10, 2024 · Here you see one of the oldest permanent structures built on the mesa, where early Ancestral Pueblo settlers enjoyed many of the same comforts we enjoy in our homes today.
Square Tower House - U.S. National Park Service
Jan 11, 2024 · This cliff dwelling includes the tallest standing architecture in Mesa Verde, a four-story, 27-foot (8 m) tall structure that was part of an even larger building complex. Although the site has been stabilized by archeologists, 90% is original. Painted murals and pecked rock art are found throughout Square Tower House.
Virtual Mesa Top Loop Drive - U.S. National Park Service
May 16, 2020 · Examples of a pithouse (left); pueblo (center); and cliff dwelling (right) along with a timeline of Ancestral Pueblo homes on Mesa Verde.
Conditions and Alerts - U.S. National Park Service
Jan 2, 2025 · Visitors can view Spruce Tree House from overlooks behind the Mesa Verde Museum in the Park Headquarters area. The National Park Service is working on a project to stabilize the arch so that the site may be reopened. More information about the closure is found on the Spruce Tree House Closure page.
During the Classic Period at Mesa Verde (A.D. 1100 to A.D. 1300) several generations probably lived together as a house-hold. Each family occupied several rooms and built additional rooms as the family grew.