A Return to Mesa Verde

With rain in the forecast for the high country, Joan and I decided to pivot: three days at Mesa Verde National Park.

It had been years since either of us had visited, and with more time spent in remote Ancestral Pueblo areas, we came back with a different perspective.

Back then, my knowledge of the area seemed limited.  Now? I see them differently. The reconstructed dwellings here give people a taste of what Joan and I often stumble across in the backcountry. Except here, there are well-maintained trails, obvious boundaries of where to enter or not, and easier accessibility in many ways.

More than a decade ago, I didn’t appreciate how these sites were all linked by canyons, rivers, and travel routes that predated us. Even today, many of our trails and roads echo those older paths.

We managed to get in two ranger-led tours that let us access places we could not see on our own, and saw other self-guided hikes.

Highlight included –

• An 800+ year-old staircase, carved into the stone, made me realize how many other similar staircases we followed in our travels.

• A handprint on the canyon wall –

• Plaster patterns along the wall reveal the artistry present in these buildings, a quality that was only hinted at centuries later.

• A spiral in the masonry, located at the base of the structure.

• A tower on the mesa, overlooking a kiva.

• And another kiva indicating the importance of these structures within the community.

• A petroglyph panel at the bottom of a canyon.

• Or within the structures themselves.

• And, finally, the impressive cliff dwellings that make Mesa Verde so well known.

Mesa Verde is not a backcountry destination. The vast majority of the park is off limits.

Instead, we enjoyed car camping in a place downright luxurious compared to our dispersed camping, never mind backpacking –  Wifi, showers, and ice cream. 

And, I must confess, the local draft beer (and some cheesecake that caught Joan’s eye) at the lodge further up the road did not make me complain.

Mesa Verde is not like our usual backcountry haunts, but it is no less memorable with its mesas and canyons holding a much archeological, historical, and cultural significance.  The reconstructed dwellings offer visitors a window into what we so often encounter in quieter places with fewer signs of modern care. For us, that contrast between the well-known sites on display and the hidden alcoves we’ve been lucky enough to wander give us a different perspective and one that lets us appreciate what we’ve seen even more so.

I can appreciate how Mesa Verde gives so many people a window into the deep history and culture of the Southwest all while also knowing there are still countless nooks and crannies across the Colorado Plateau still yet for Joan and I to see. And when I return someday, I know I’ll feel the same and find myself grateful for time spent among its quite places.