Today was a recovery day from hiking and biking with a 100 mile trip from Ouray over to Mesa Verde National Park.
Mesa Verde was home to the ancestral Pueblo people, estimated from around 550 to 1300 AD. The landscape is a sloping mesa that rises high above the surrounding valleys. The national park provides access to the expansive mesa top (where some of the Pueblo people lived, grew crops, and hunted) and to the cliff dwellings constructed from sandstone below the mesa top.
The Mesa Verde national park makes for a great day if you like cultural history and the desert landscape. If you enjoy hiking, biking, or more in-depth learning, it’s easily worth at least two days. Options include self-guided tours, ranger-led tours, hikes, and camping.
Hiking stats: 6.1 miles, 2h 42m, 974’ ascent