Although the park is open in the winter and ranger-guided tours of Spruce Tree House are available year-round, Mesa Verde, now a World Cultural Heritage site, is essentially a spring to mid-October attraction. At that time the Far View Lodge is open (Telephone 800-449-2288). The park is tucked into the SW corner of Colorado; the Lodge is about 15 miles inside the park. At 8000 feet elevation it has 150 rooms, some described as having "a 100 mile view."

When you get there, tempting though it is to go straight to Cliff Palace and Spruce Tree House, the most spectacular of the ruins, it is more logical to approach the park exhibits in chronological order.

Go first to the Visitors Center, then the park museum at Spruce Tree House. Now take the Mesa Top Ruins Road and visit those ancient sites, whose architecture preceded for 600 years that of the Classic Pueblo Cliff Dwelling era. The best panorama of Spruce Tree House is from the balcony beside the museum. The best view of Cliff Palace is from the Sun Temple, the last site on the Ruins Road Loop.

The climbs down to the ruins are strenuous, especially at Cliff Palace. The climbs would even be dangerous for the elderly. Says a guide, "On the climbs down you'll know you've got toes, and on the scrambles back up, you'll know you've got lungs. Avoid dehydration. Drink plenty. Cliff Palace is a six-pack."