Published on Oct, 2024
We spent 3 days at Mesa Verde and did several tours, along with trail hikes and our own explorations. The Wetherill area was closed. We found the 700 Years Tour to be an excellent introduction to the park, bringing together and expanding on many of the themes introduced at the Visitors Center and Park Musem. We did the tour on our first day to get ourselves started.
The first thing to know is that the 700 Tour is a great way to see a number of the park highlights in the Mesa Top Area and the history & culture of the peoples who lived there. One bonus of the Tour is that it includes the ranger/guide-led tour to the Cliff Palace, whose tickets can be difficult to secure otherwise. Our 700 Tour guide had her PhD in anthropology, was an excellent speaker, and a wealth of knowledge. So if you're pressed for time and haven't done pre-research to plan out your visit, this is a good way to go.
Another thing I'd recommend is, if you only have time to visit one more site, consider going to see Spruce Tree House in The Chapin Mesa Area, by the Museum. In my opinion, it's one of the key highlights to see that's not on the 700 Year Tour. It's a well developed cliff site that you can get within a few hundred yards of. As I mentioned, the Wetherill Area was closed, so I can't comment on sites there to see for priority. Also, that area is not part of the 700 Tour.
Another's thing to know is that, if you can, try to sit on the left side of the bus as you get on from the front because the canyon and cliff dwelling views for the sites you don't stop at will be on that side. You can still see things from the other side, just not quite as optimally sometimes.
Finally, know that the bus seats are fairly comfortable. The bus is air conditioned, and they have cold water bottles to help folks stay hydrated. There are also a couple of stops with restroom facilities.
Of course, the Park Service Visitors Center and Museum are always worth your time to visit because the NPS does such a great job bringing together and sharing the themes of each place they host. Nither of these is part of the 700 Tour.
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