More than 170,000 acres in the southwestern corner of Colorado is now protected land under Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, where thousands of communities of our Pueblo Ancestors once lived. The visitor center is located just west of Dolores at the Anasazi Heritage Center, which includes a research facility with more than 3 million artifacts and displays. Also, the museum inside the facility is quite impressive. The half-mile paved walkway with a 200-foot drop leads to the Escalante Pueblo located on top of the hill behind the visitor center, offering a spectacular 360-degree view of the La Plata Mountains, Montezuma Valley , McPhee Reservoir and Mesa. Green.

Just north of Pagosa Springs, at the foot of a mountain pass, is Treasure Falls, which cascades 105 feet into Falls Creek en route to the San Juan River. The top of the falls is visible from the retreat, but to get a view of all of the falls, one must hike a quarter-mile on a switchback trail with a 300-foot elevation gain. At the end of the trail is a wooden bridge that hangs over Falls Creek about 25 feet from the base of the falls. Prepare to get a bit wet with the mist.

In the southwestern corner of Colorado is 236 miles of nothing but inspiring beauty, known as the San Juan Skyway with an elevation range of 6,200 feet to just over 11,000 feet. The skyway begins and ends in the cities of Cortez and Durango and travels north through the San Juan National Forest, where the three highways that make up the skyway take one through steep, winding mountain passes and down to through the valleys just below the impressive peaks of the mountains that rise. about 14,000 feet in the clear blue sky. With the segment of highway between Ouray and Silverton known as the “Million Dollar Highway”, one will see why this part is truly priceless, with sheer mountain walls on one side and straight drops on the other side showcasing the beauty of the alpine peaks. and the lush valley below. As a bonus, the trail passes through the old mining towns of Rico, Telluride, Ouray, and Silverton, where each town is home to many historic buildings, as well as activities, shops, and restaurants.

Telluride is located just a few miles off the back road in a box canyon in the Colorado Rockies where some of the old Victorian mining houses still stand with a walking trail along the San Miguel River. High above Telluride is the world famous Telluride Ski and Golf Resort. Aside from Ouray being an old mining town, there are some delights for passing visitors. The Cascade Falls at the end of 8th Street showcases a spectacular 100+ foot waterfall created from melting snow from the Cascade Mountains. A quarter-mile steep and rugged trail leads to the base of the falls, where you can walk under and behind the falls. At the other end of town is Box Canyon Falls. After a short 400-foot hike, the trail enters the narrow box canyon where a gated walkway alongside the cliff face leads 100 feet to the back of the canyon where the 85-foot waterfall can be seen. Going down a fifty-foot ladder, you reach the base of the falls. Silverton, at an elevation of 9,318 feet, is located in the valley at the southern end of the San Juan Mountains and is very rich in its history as the former mining town of the early 19th century.

In the late 1800s, what is known as Cliff Palace was discovered by Wetherill and his son-in-law. Over the next 18 years, visitors to this dwelling took artifacts, burned roof beams for fire pits, and defaced some of the walls. For some reason, there is no mention of any destruction at the site known as Balcony House, which was discovered a few years earlier by a searcher led by SE Osborn. In 1906, these two places and thousands of acres were protected as Mesa Verde National Park. These two places along with the Long House, which was excavated in the mid-19th century, can only be viewed up close by ranger guides.

Entering the park, one must drive about 18 miles to reach the 6-mile Cliff Palace loop, with the first 15 miles on a steep, winding road with switchbacks leading around Mesa’s and Questa’s. Along the way there are several overlooks for spectacular views of the Mancos Valley, Montezuma Valley, the Geological Lookout, and Park Point, which is the highest point in the park at 8,572 feet. A 2-mile hike leads to an overlook with a 360-degree view of Parks Mesa’s and Questa’s with mountains in the distance. From here you can see natural structures in the four states that make up the four corners region.

As the highway passes Far View Lodge, the road levels off along the top of Chapin Mesa where the Far View Community Sites are located, which was the most populous with 50 villages within a half square mile. Here, a one-mile loop trail leads to the Pipe Shrine House, Town Center, Coyote Village, Megalithic House, Far View Tower, and the community reservoir.

The Mesa Top Six Mile Loop has many stops where you can walk a short distance to the Pit House, Mesa’s best sites, Sun Pueblo, a 300-yard walk to Square Tower Overlook and Sun Temple, which also provides An excellent view of Cliff Palace sitting in the alcove across the valley.

Since Mesa Verde has over 600 alcoves with the best preserved and most notable cliff dwellings in North America, these sites are the most popular. Along the six-mile Cliff Palace loop, you can reach the Cliff Palace Guided Tour, a Balcony House Lookout, and the Balcony House Guided Tour. Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling with 150 rooms and 23 kivas, can be seen up close with a quarter-mile round-trip hike with a 100-foot elevation change. With just 40 rooms, Balcony House is considered a medium-sized cliff dwelling; however, getting to the site is the most challenging where the quarter-mile loop takes one up a 32-foot ladder, through a small 12-foot tunnel, an 18-inch-wide crawl with a ladder of 5 feet and to exit the dwelling by a 60 foot open cliff with small stone steps and stairs from two to ten feet.

The 12-mile Wetherill Trail with steep inclines and curves over and around mesas will come to an end at the site of the Long House, the second-largest dwelling on the cliffs. The guided tour is a 2.25 mile round trip hike with the first mile over a fairly level asphalt walkway and a steep 130 foot elevation change along the cliff face to reach the dwelling.

Unfortunately, the third largest cliff dwelling, Spruce Tree House, can no longer be viewed up close due to the potential for rocks falling from the cliff faces; however, an excellent view of the house can be seen just behind the museum.

Also, there are many hiking trails that lead to other ruins and smaller dwellings for one’s enjoyment. Without a doubt, to truly experience what Mesa Verde has to offer, one should plan on at least two full days.