Mesa Verde and Cliff Palace

About this experience

You meet at the Mild to Wild office, 50 Animas View Dr in Durango, or at the Mancos Chamber of Commerce if you tell the operator when you book. The drive to the park takes about 45 minutes past the La Plata Mountains. The guide-driver takes you round the mesa-top sites first, then to Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in North America per the listing, for about 45 minutes with a park ranger. Lunch is at one of the sites or overlooks, then more villages and kivas, and a lookout over the Four Corners region before the drive back. The group is up to 10, and the day runs 8 hours.

On the rails: no train today. Durango is the home of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and the two make a natural pair: the steam train one day, Mesa Verde the next. The summer Silverton round trip takes about 9.25 hours, per the railroad. Our Durango & Silverton guide has the fares and the seasons. Back near Denver, the Royal Gorge Route is a train you can book here.

Included, per the listing: the guide-driver, the shuttle to, through and from the park, the park entry pass, the ranger-guided Cliff Palace tour, lunch and water refills. Gratuities are not included. The park service describes the Cliff Palace tour as uneven stone steps and four ladders, about a quarter mile with a 100-foot elevation change, and everyone has to climb the ladders on their own. If that is not for you, the listing says you can stay with the guide and see Cliff Palace from an overlook.

• A ranger-led tour into Cliff Palace, about 45 minutes
• Mesa-top villages and kivas with a guide
• Lunch at a site or an overlook in the park
• A lookout over the Four Corners region
• Small group of up to 10, park entry included

How the day runs

1. StartDurango or Mancos

   Meet at 50 Animas View Dr, Durango, or the Mancos Chamber of Commerce. Check the times for your date.

2. About 45 minutesThe drive to the park

   West from Durango past the La Plata Mountains.

3. MorningThe mesa-top sites

   A first round of the park's villages and viewpoints with your guide.

4. About 45 minutesCliff Palace

   Stone steps and ladders into the cliff dwelling, with a park ranger.

5. AfternoonLunch, villages and kivas

   Lunch at a site or overlook, then more of the ancient villages.

6. End of the dayFour Corners lookout, then back

   A last view over the region before the drive back to Durango or Mancos.

What's included

Who it suits

What guests say

Tips before you book

• Check your date early. The park service ran Cliff Palace tours from 4 May to 21 October in 2026 and posts the next season's dates in spring.
• Wear hiking shoes for the steps and ladders, as the listing asks.
• Bring layers and rain gear: the listing warns of cool mornings, hot afternoons and afternoon showers.
• Traveling with a child up to 8? Colorado law requires a car seat, and the listing asks you to bring your own.
• Leave the steam train for the other day: our Durango train guide covers the Silverton trip and the winter Cascade Canyon train.

Read next:

• Durango & Silverton train
• Best train rides in Colorado

Frequently asked questions

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