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Jerry Pillarelli | profile | all galleries >> Travel and Nature; Sites by State >> US Travel; by Trip, by State >> Colorado >> Mesa Verde National Park – Colorado tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Mesa Verde National Park – Colorado

Images of Mesa Verde National Park – Southwestern Colorado, taken in April 2016.

Mesa Verde National Park protects thousands archeological sites of the Ancestral Pueblo people along the Chapin and Wetherill Mesas. Included are some of the most spectacular and well preserved cliff dwellings in the world. People settled in Mesa Verde around AD 550 but it wasn’t until about AD 1200 that they started to build their dwellings beneath the mesa cliffs.

I had beautiful weather while in the park but because I visited early in the year the Wetherill Mesa area was closed (until May 1). Nevertheless it is in the Chapin Mesa area where some of the most incredible cliff dwellings reside so I had plenty to explore. There was however some good news and some bad news; the bad news was that because of issues with falling rocks in the cliff dwellings visitors were not allowed to tour and go into the sites; the good news was that because of falling rocks visitors were not allowed to tour and go into the sites which meant that I could get pictures of the amazing cliff dwellings without people crawling all over them! I’m sure my apparent joy over this development may seem somewhat selfish but in my defense…okay, I have no defense. I love capturing images of these kinds of places and have many times in the past waited around for people to clear out of an area so I could snap a picture. They (the all-encompassing “they”) were in no hurry then so I don’t feel sorry for their loss now!

Going through the park and seeing what was accomplished by the Ancestral Pueblo people so long ago was humbling; they did so much with so little. The largest of the cliff dwellings, Cliff Palace, took almost 20 years to complete, had 150 rooms and accommodated approximately 100 people.

I visited here almost twenty years ago but it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to rediscover this remarkable place…and this time, and I’m not afraid to say it, in pristine condition absent the masses crawling all over the dwellings. A perfectly spectacular site!
View of the San Juan Mountains from Mesa Verde National Park
View of the San Juan Mountains from Mesa Verde National Park 		San Juan Mountains in the distance from Mesa Verde National Park
San Juan Mountains in the distance from Mesa Verde National Park		 One of the approximately 80 feral horses in Mesa Verde National Park
One of the approximately 80 feral horses in Mesa Verde National Park		 Cliff Palace in Cliff Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Palace in Cliff Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park		 The Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park
The Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park
Close-up of the Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park
Close-up of the Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park		 A square tower at the Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park
A square tower at the Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park		 Cliff Palace late in the day in Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Palace late in the day in Mesa Verde National Park		 Part of Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park
Part of Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park		 Cliff Palace from the overlook in Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Palace from the overlook in Mesa Verde National Park
Close-up of Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park
Close-up of Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park		 Cliff Palace kiva in Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Palace kiva in Mesa Verde National Park		 Woman plays an ancestral flute in Mesa Verde National Park
Woman plays an ancestral flute in Mesa Verde National Park		 Pinyon Pine in Mesa Verde National Park
Pinyon Pine in Mesa Verde National Park		 Cliff Palace from the Mesa Top Loop in Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Palace from the Mesa Top Loop in Mesa Verde National Park
Close-up of Cliff Palace from the Mesa Top Loop in Mesa Verde National Park
Close-up of Cliff Palace from the Mesa Top Loop in Mesa Verde National Park		 Cliff Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park		 Cliff Palace from the Mesa Top Loop in Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Palace from the Mesa Top Loop in Mesa Verde National Park		 Cliff Palace and surrounding area from the Mesa Top Loop in Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Palace and surrounding area from the Mesa Top Loop in Mesa Verde National Park		 Cliff Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park
Square Tower House cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park
Square Tower House cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park		 Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park
Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park		 The square tower at Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park
The square tower at Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park		 House of Many Windows (upper right) in Navajo Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park
House of Many Windows (upper right) in Navajo Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park		 House of Many Windows close-up in Mesa Verde National Park
House of Many Windows close-up in Mesa Verde National Park
Balcony House (upper right) in Soda Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park
Balcony House (upper right) in Soda Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park		 Close-up of Balcony House in Soda Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park
Close-up of Balcony House in Soda Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park		 Red-Tailed Hawk over Soda Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park
Red-Tailed Hawk over Soda Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park		 Coyote Village dwelling at the Far View Site in Mesa Verde National Park
Coyote Village dwelling at the Far View Site in Mesa Verde National Park		 Navajo Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park
Navajo Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park
Spruce Tree House in Spruce Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park
Spruce Tree House in Spruce Canyon in Mesa Verde National Park		 Spruce Tree House from above in Mesa Verde National Park
Spruce Tree House from above in Mesa Verde National Park		 Pinyon Pine in Mesa Verde National Park
Pinyon Pine in Mesa Verde National Park		 Spruce Tree House in Mesa Verde National Park
Spruce Tree House in Mesa Verde National Park		 Close-up of Spruce Tree House in Mesa Verde National Park
Close-up of Spruce Tree House in Mesa Verde National Park
Sun Point View with Cliff Palace to the right in Mesa Verde National Park
Sun Point View with Cliff Palace to the right in Mesa Verde National Park		 Cliff Palace from the Sun Point View in Mesa Verde National Park
Cliff Palace from the Sun Point View in Mesa Verde National Park		 Oak Tree House from the Sun Point View in Mesa Verde National Park
Oak Tree House from the Sun Point View in Mesa Verde National Park		 Long shadows on Oak Tree House in Mesa Verde National Park
Long shadows on Oak Tree House in Mesa Verde National Park		 Close-up of Oak Tree House in Mesa Verde National Park
Close-up of Oak Tree House in Mesa Verde National Park
Fire Temple and New Fire House in Mesa Verde National Park
Fire Temple and New Fire House in Mesa Verde National Park		 Fire Temple and New Fire House from the Sun Point View in Mesa Verde National Park
Fire Temple and New Fire House from the Sun Point View in Mesa Verde National Park		 Mummy House and ruins below from the Sun Point View in Mesa Verde National Park
Mummy House and ruins below from the Sun Point View in Mesa Verde National Park		 Sunset House from the Sun Point View in Mesa Verde National Park
Sunset House from the Sun Point View in Mesa Verde National Park		 Mesa along the road in Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa along the road in Mesa Verde National Park

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