Mesa Verde, Colorado

Spruce Tree House

Mesa Verde is probably the most interesting of the ruins we have visited. We arrived just after the main season ended, so a couple of sites were closed for the season. However, we did get to see Spruce Tree House and Cliff Palace. Photos of Spruce Tree House are on this page while Cliff Palace is on Page 2.

Spruce Tree House in located near the museum and is easily accessible via a moderately sloping paved path. If you choose not to make the approximately 60 foot descent, you still get an excellent view from the museum overlook and from just a few feet down the trail.

The Park Service has restored one of the kivas, reconstructing its roof in the same manner as the original. Visitors are allowed to go down inside where you get a sense of what it might have been like to sleep there. The first picture was taken from the inside looking up towards the entrance ladder.

I suppose is one had visitors, this is what it would look like greeting them at the entrance:

And here is Dave climbing back to the outside: