In Photos: Mesa Verde National Park
a little history…
One of the most interesting places I’ve visited in the US is Mesa Verde (Spanish for “green table”) National Park in Colorado. In 1978, Mesa Verde was named a World Heritage Site because of its archaeological and cultural relevance. It protects thousands of archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings that became home to Ancestral Puebloans for over 700 years (AD 550 to 1300).
Mesa Verde is most well known for structures like Cliff Palace, known to be the largest cliff dwelling in North America and for having the highest concentrations of archaeological sites in the United States. Mesa Verde is unlike any other national park I’ve visited. Most national parks are dedicated to nature’s wonders whereas Mesa Verde is all about the wonderful works of man. The park does an incredible job of creating a link between the past and the present ways of life.
Spruce Tree House
( the park’s best preserved cliff dwelling)
Information:
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Mesa Verde, CO 81330
- (970) 529-4465
- Website: Mesa Verde National Park
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in photos: mesa verde national park
Your photos are stunning! Looks like a great trip 🙂
Thank you Elly! It was a fun and educational trip! 🙂
These photos are gorgeous! I can only hope to travel there some day!
Thanks so much Hilary! I hope you get to visit Mesa Verde too!
This is so cool .. Great imagery! Love the treehouse 🙂
Your photos are gorgeous. This looks like such a beautiful place to visit.
– Brianne
I went there twice as a kid. Great place to visit and learn about early American history.
Beautiful pictures!!!
This is so cool. I ma not to far from here right now and my husband and his brother went there a couple years ago and loved it!
You have great photos, not only in this post but in general! And I find it interesting that your blogging style is very similar to ours – with a focus on more photos.
This place looks amazing, especially considering it is a world heritage site but not about natural wonders. Thanks for sharing, I haven’t heard about it before.
Greate post, Janna! I’ve always wanted to photograph the cliff dwellings but never had the chance to. Your pics are keeping high on my radar. Thanks!
When I was a teacher, I used this town when teaching about Native Americans! I’d love to be able to actually visit it myself!
Wow that’s incredible. I didn’t know there was anything like that in the US. I love your photos.
What an interesting place to visit and a great place to take photos. It is nice to see that these buildings have been preserved and protected.
Gorgeous photos. I visited Mesa Verde back before digital photography so I know my pictures stink. I shall return.
This looks beautiful. I’ll have to visit there one day. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been fascinated with these cliff dwellings since I was a kid. I actually made a model of one out of Plaster of Paris for a history project! The Native Americans, in general, are so fascinating for their resourcefulness and ingenuity.
Oh wow, what a cool place! Bookmarking this. Thanks for sharing 🙂
The photos are stunning! This place so interesting. You’re right the majority of the national parks preserve wildlife but I love that this one preserves the culture and history of a specific tribe. I have to put this on my list!
What a fascinating area. Cliff Palace looks amazing and is definitely somewhere I really want to visit now. Thank you for sharing your gorgeous photos.
Looks like a great place to visit. I particularly love the fall colors in the backdrop. Thanks for sharing this!
Me too! I love Fall season. No problem at all Anna! Thank you for stopping by
Looks like a beautiful and fascinating spot – will have to add this to my list of places to visit the next time we hit up the US 🙂 Thanks!
It really is Meg! Definitely add this to your list. Let me know when you visit the US, I’ll share my favorite spots. 🙂
Wow, I never knew such a place existed in the US! This is fantastic, I love your pictures too!
Same here Anita! Who knew right? Thanks so much for liking the photos!
Wow!! I’ve never heard of this place. I love all the details in the photos. It must have been a very informative trip!
I’ve never heard of it too till I made this trip to Colorado. It was definitely educational and a unique way to learn about how the dwellings were built.
This looks like such an interesting place! Great photos, thanks for sharing 🙂
It’s really interesting Lauren! You should check it out! 🙂
The photos are really beautiful and terrific!