Cliff Palace

Victoria Tzitzis

2024-05

Such an incredible place. In order to go down into the Palace, you have to book a tour with a ranger (I believe it was $8 per adult) and you must be able to climb up up a few sturdy but steep ladders that could pose a problem for folks with mobility issues. You can see the palace for free from a viewpoint above, but going down into the palace was so special.Our ranger (shoutout Michael!) truly had such a great love for what he does, and it made what was already a moving experience all the more meaningful.My toddler was allowed to come on the tour on my husbands back, and was allowed out of the carrier to walk near the palace with the rest of us on the tour, which was a very generous accommodation from the park and our ranger.Be mindful of the time you book your tour. Our ranger was able to accommodate some people who missed their booked time, but that will not always be the case, especially with high season coming up. Book early, as the tours book up quickly!It was such a worthwhile, awe inspiring experience.

Jordan Guillory

2024-05

This was the highlight of our trip and such an amazing place to visit. Dropping down and actually stepping foot where they used to live so many centuries before was special, and incredible. We took a 9,7,4 and 2 year olds on the tour and it was easy for everyone (2 year old was on my back in a carrier). They thought it was awesome and enjoyed the wooden ladders to get out! Everyone needs to visit here to make Mesa Verde really impactful!

Michelle Bush

2024-05

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Carlos Francisco Rivera

2024-04

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Ken Chester Jr

2024-05

Still highly viewable from a platform above the ancient city even if you don't snag a tour ticket to walk through the dwellings. Highly recommend visiting this and the other archeological sites!

Mr. B

2023-11

Great example of Cliff Dwellings on top of a really cool National Park. Make sure to take the "Cliff Palace" tour or you won't get the up close experience. The guides also provide interesting info along the way. It is really a place not to be missed.Do some research to make sure you can climb the steps and ladders that are required. Some steps are small and cut into the rock face with some narrow passageways. All 30+ in our group made it OK, with just a few of the elderly/out of shape people struggling a bit. Wear good sneakers/hiking shoes and bring water!We stayed at the Far View Lodge nearby inside the park, which was really convenient. A side note is the restaurant/bar at the lodge was just OK, but also convenient with nice views outside on the deck. This is not a fine dining spot.

R Scott Crandall

2024-05

Wonderful views, need to reserve a tour with the park rangers to go down to them, best to reserve in advance, all sold out when we got there

Lynn Christensen

2023-10

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David Shippee

2023-08

We visited Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park in late August 2023. What a great experience! You just can't know the scale of the buildings until you're right next to them. You can't go into any of the buildings but that doesn't detract from the experience at all. A definite must if you are in the park. You can't beat the deal for $8 per person. Highly recommended.

Dmytro Ivanov

2024-05

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Ari Ioannides

2023-07

Mesa Verde is amazing and I can't believe I've never been before this trip. While anyone can visit any time, free with a National Park Pass or a small fee for everyone else, get a reservation for one of the three tours. Unlike days of ols where folks would crowd into the major attractions, guided groups are well spaced out to that you can experience the amazing cliff palace free of crowds. Spacing between crowds provide opportunities to photograph the area without people! The rangers are very knowledgeable and provided great information. While there is some climbing, I would not characterize the hike as strenuous.

Malik Ahmad

2024-05

Amazing place, must visit if you are into knowing historic sites/ archeology. Drive was fun.

Tanner Peacock

2023-06

The stop of the park. Such an amazing view! When we came early fall, it was closed for the season, but was open this visit. Amazing to see the palace up close and appreciate all the work and time was put into the cliff palace.The tour might be challenging for smaller children so something to consider if doing the tour. You can still see it from above for free and 100% worth the visit.

Brian Strickler

2024-05

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Costa Constanti

2023-05

Imagine an archaeological site in an impossible gravity-defying location. Unbelievable! And in such great condition. We took the $10 pre-booked tour down the cliff face via narrow stairs and passages to see the site up close. The view from the overlook / view deck is good enough however, so if you forgot to buy tickets, all is not lost. Highly recommend a visit to this unique and impressive site. Don’t miss it!

Andy Smith

2023-05

This is one of the most unique places in America and shows the ingenuity of ancient people. You need to get tickets in advance and its ranger lead, but this is one place you really should visit. Once you are down and the ranger has given a briefing, you can take your time and really experience the place. Its not until you get down to the palace you see how amazing it is. The fun part is getting back out up the ladders :-)To think when this was built, the architecture and skill that went in to the structures is incredible. We spent ages down here taking in the scenery and marvelling at the construction. These are some of the oldest houses in America.Definitely recommend doing this and its an easy weekend for the family from Denver or Colorado Springs. There are also lots of other things in the area and cheap hotels like Hampton Inn in Cortez, where we stayed.

Open World Development

2024-05

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Stan Orlowski

2023-05

Beautiful!! Incredible place to visit. The tour was a little flat compared to others we took at Mesa Verde but the site made up for it. Incredible visit.You have to be amazed at what people could accomplish a thousand plus years ago without any modern tools and getting the building materials up the side of a cliff. Amazing.

Crazysurfkidd

2023-08

* Currently roadworks. Leave yourself a good hour to get from the park entrance to Cliff Palace *A B S O L U T E L Y amazing.We took the guided tour and thoroughly recommend it. To access, you go down several flights of stairs (often carved into the rock). To exit, there are several wooden ladders (rungs approx 20" apart) and stone steps - one way in. One way out.The Rangers are exceptionally knowledgeable about what we know of the dwellings.Plenty of parking, incl toilet and water.

William Lieberman

2023-05

Phenomenal indigenous cave dwelling inside Mesa Verde National Park. Must be on a ranger lead tour to visit up close. Can view from a distance on Mesa Loop drive. Only about quarter mile. But very steep hike with several ladders. Site itself is an amazing feat of architecture. Ranger presentation was great. Highly recommended.

Grey Ghost

2023-06

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Luke

2023-05

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Genx Fem

2023-09

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Kyle Kempf

2023-07

A gorgeous cliff dwelling with the best overlook in the park. Even if you don't have a tour scheduled it's worth it to stop to overlook the dwelling.The tour itself is a lot of fun and is really informative for when people lived here, why they lived here, and how they took advantage of these unique styles of living. The one downside of this tour is that you don't get to see the inside of any of the buildings.Also, there are quite a few rooms and buildings in Cliff Palace that are rebuilt to how they looked originally. It offers a unique perspective into the buildings compared to a lot of the other dwellings that have more ruins. However, I guess this is a sin in archeology.

Kevin O'Brien

2023-06

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Daniel Duran

2023-05

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Kelly Alvarez

2023-08

We definitely had beautiful weather to enjoy today. 89 with a breeze!It was great. We recommend the cliff palace tour. It was great. We wished we also did the Balcony house, but that is for the more adventurous in the group.There is a video in museum.We did the top loop then took the tour.

Lyn Madaghiele

2023-06

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Craig Philpott

2021-05

At the time of our visit there were no guided tours available for any of the below cliff ancient dwellings. All of the canyon rim drives were open and the cliff top ruins were available for self guided tours. This was the first visit for my wife and it had been years since I had visited and we enjoyed every stop and every view. Looking back into our regional history is quite humbling.

K M

2023-05

Took the 700 Year Tour with Aramark in August, 2022. What a fabulous, informative experience. Tour guide and driver were friendly, well-informed, great story-tellers. The hikes aren't nearly as difficult as I had heard. Please don't miss Mesa Verde! The 700-Year-Tour is all you need for a well-rounded experience.