If you live in or visit western Colorado you can not miss out on visiting Mesa Verde. If you take the more scenic route from Grand Junction which is through Montrose, Telluride and over Lizard Head Pass, it's a little over 3 hours or close to 200 miles to Cortez. Once you reach Cortez the Mesa Verde Park entrance is about 11 miles South East of the town. There are plenty of hotels to stay in if you don't want to camp. 

 

Morefield Campgrounds offers  variety of camping opportunities. The campgrounds sits in a canyon about 4 miles iside of the park and is open from the middle of May until the middle of October. Each campsite contains a table, bench and a grill. There are plenty of sites for either tents, trailers and RV's. There are 15 sites that contain full hookups for RV's but those require a reservation.

 

If you want to camp but don't want to lug around all the equipment or just don't have any gear, Morefiled Campground also offers a "Base Camping" experience. Their "Base Camping" offer includes a tent, a couple cots and a lantern. You still need to supply bedding and nessecities.

 

The campground also has a cafe' located within it and a small "Village" type area with showers and laundry machines. There is a gift shop located nearby and a variety of hiking trails and tours originate from the campground as well. Be sure to call for more information 1-800-449-2288 or visit their website http://www.visitmesaverde.com/ .

 

 

 

There is a lot to see in Mesa Verde so to see most of it you should plan on reserving at least one full day to sight seeing. Mesa Verde has over 4,000 archiological sites and more then 600 cliff dwellings. One of the largest and most famous cliff dwellings is Cliff Palace. The park offers guided tours of the dwelling which allows you to take a short hike down to it and actually walk among the stuctures. If you plan on taking this tour you will need to stop in at the visitor center and purchase a ticket. If you want more information about the tours click here.

 

While your in this area you need to take the time to visit the Four Corners as well. The Four Corners is the only place in the United States shared by four states, Colorado, Utah. New Mexico and Arizona. It's neat to be able to stand in one spot and be in four different states at the same time. The Four Corners in about 40 miles South West of Cortez and there is a small entrance fee to be able to view the monument