Mesa Verde, CO

Cliff Place

The cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo Native Americans are but a relic of their mysterious lives in the Colorado Plateau.  Mesa Verde National Park protects 600 of these cliff dwellings. Only a handful are open to the public.  The largest cliff dwelling in the park, Cliff Place, is open to the public but you are required to take a guided tour.  Kindly, they only cost $3/tour!
We took the Cliff Place and Balcony House tour.  Although Balcony house was much smaller it was highly interactive, climbing ladders, crawling through holes and standing on the literal edge of a cliff.  Standing amidst the ancient ruins, I find it romantic to daydream about what life was like for the original inhabitants.
I found the experience both humbling and inspirational.  To think of a long Colorado winter in a Kiva, or pit houses, with upwards of adozen other people was a stark reminder of how comfortable our lives, my life is.  Even in a van! It was inspirational recognizing what people can accomplish in such an unforgiving environment and so long ago.
I recommend a visit to Mesa Verde to anyone.  Careful when planning a trip though because not everything is open year round including one of the two roads through the park, which we missed…I have come to realize that a little planning is a good thing out on the road!