Self-Guided Rainy Day at MESA VERDE National Park - What Can One Do? | Colorado 

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is known for excellent Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings, however, reservations are needed to tour many of the ruins. On an impromptu rainy day, we checked out just what can be accomplished on a self-guided visit.
Much of Mesa Verde National Park can be experienced on guided tours. While fantastic for learning and absorbing facts about the sites and people who lived there, it is not ideal for the everyday vlogger or someone who randomly stops by the park while in the area. Reservations are needed and coming the day of might mean visitors miss out on the opportunity to take tours.
Curious as to what options there are for those in that predicament, we set out to see just how much one can accomplish. In general, the park has two houses that are open to self-guided tours - the Step House and the Spruce Tree House. At the time of our visit, the latter was closed off due to ongoing projects in the park. In addition to the houses, there are a number of walking trails to several overlooks which provide a fantastic look at the houses from afar. One can really take in the full view of these ruins.
Apart from these activities, there are three houses that require a tour ticket. Make sure you plan in advance.
Finally, to say the park is vast would be a great understatement. Be sure to budget plenty of time during your visit as the drive into the park to some of these sites is much longer than one might expect. But be sure to also take your time as the drive is well worth it. Plenty of stops and overlooks make for fantastic picture-taking moments - especially when the weather takes a turn and puts on a dramatic show as we experienced!
VIDEO FILMED: 07/29/2022
▬▬ R E L A T E D V I D E O S ▬▬
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▬▬ L O C A T I O N I N F O ▬▬
⚪ MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK - www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm
⚪ Directions to MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK - goo.gl/maps/qS5WyXkBdXCSQ7Et5
▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ▬▬
00:00 Intro to Mesa Verde
01:30 A Fantastic Drive & Amazing Overlooks
08:26 The Step House
13:23 The Long House Overlook
17:15 The Weather Turns Crazy!
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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.
Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking and day trips as well as campground reviews and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!