The last Colorado National Park we went to was Mesa Verde National Park. I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting but it involved Indian dwellings, red rocks, and heat. As I have mentioned before, I am always looking for wildlife and green lush scenery. I mean it was the final Co. park so we had to go but to be honest, I was not expecting to be very impressed.
As we drove toward Mesa Verde, the area started to look just like I had imagined. It was dry and reminded me of places near where I live now. We pulled up to the park visitor center and as my family went into check it out and get information, the learned that most everything was closed down. I was aware before hand that due to the Covid stuff you couldn’t book tours to hike down into the ruins but this was more than that. We were told that basically every hike had been shut down due to fire concerns. Man this was off to a good start right?
Next we went to the general store to check in at our campground in the park. We were informed that we only had one night and not the two nights I was sure I had booked and paid for. The internet didn’t really work so I couldn’t pull up the reservations to verify so we decided we would just stay the one night, after all everything seemed to be closed down anyway. My husband returned to the store to finish the process and was then told that she had made a mistake and that we were there for 2 nights. I wasn’t really sure if I was glad or bummed. We were basically told to drive around and find a spot that wasn’t being used and claim it. Right away we came across a deer and then two very small fawns following behind. Maybe two nights would be ok after all.
The campground loop we first drove around was much more crowded than I was thrilled about, at least every spot with any amount of shade seemed to be taken. Once we found a spot that had shade and was away from nearly everyone and was within walking distance to the bathrooms, we unhooked and we were off to explore.
First and foremost, I was shocked at how green the area was. I mean I know green is literally in the name but I still wasn’t buying it. After we left the campground and went through a small tunnel we started to see lots of green bushes and trees. We also saw lots and lots of deer, a wild turkey and even a coyote. The buck here were some of the biggest I have ever seen. It was crazy how many deer we saw. We pulled into a few overlooks and then decided to take a couple of the walks that weren’t blocked off. We found that most of these short little under 1 mile walk were open just fine and it gave us plenty to do and plenty to look at. At several of the overlooks they provided those fun telescope things you used to have to put quarters in to use. The kids loved it!
The real jaw dropper though are the ruins. I mean it’s hard to explain but there was sort of a reverent feeling in the park. Looking at these old dwellings and being in awe of how they created these communities, how they survived living on the side of cliffs, and where they all disappeared to, was all very interesting. It left our group with lots to talk about and wonder. It is really a place you have to experience and no pictures will ever quite capture the feelings you will have standing there.
I would very much recommend this park and the campground in the park. The campground has hot showers that were clean, spacious and not on a timer. There is a general store and also a cafe that serves an all you can eat pancake and bacon/ sausage breakfast ( honestly one plate was more than enough). There was also a huge amphitheater that I assume they use when parks are at full operating condition. Over all it was a hit for our family. Have you been? What was your favorite part of the park?
