We stayed at the Leland House and Rochester Hotel in the heart of the historic district of Durango, Colorado. From Durango it takes about an hour to drive out to the park. The historic district of Durango is a great place to explore with many restaurants, bars, and shops within a few short blocks.
A short drive away from Durango is the Mesa Verde National Park. “This park protects some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the United States.” – Wikipedia
There are several hiking tours led by the Park Rangers at Mesa Verde. We opted for the tour of the Cliff Palace, one of the largest cliff dwellings in the park.
We started at the top and had to hike/climb down about 100 feet to reach the ruins.
We climbed out on the opposite side of the cliff. It was a long hike back to the top.
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