This was a beautiful cliff dwelling that you can get up close to without a guide. You are also able to go down a ladder into what I believe was one of the kivas. The walk to get to the house is short and easy and you can continue on from the house to longer hikes.

You can visit this ruin on your own - AND they let you walk around in it a bit more than in the other cliff dwellings. It is a bit of a walk down - and back up, but it's OK if you take your time -- and bring water.

Ok, so you have to drive 20 miles from the front gate of the park, but it redeems itself when you get there. You take a short hike to the ruins and they are simply incredible. There were a couple rangers there explaining details of the ruins and keeping all the kids in check. We did not take the tour... More

This was our least favorite of the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, but it's still worth doing. It is not a guided tour, but there are many guides there to answer any questions you might have. The walk down to it is nice.

The Spruce Tree House is right behind the National Park Service HQ. There is a steep and winding paved trail to enter and exit, but no steps or ladders required. One of the kivas has a reconstructed roof and you can climb right down into it (a ladder is required for this!) The park ranger showed us a Great Horned... More

This dwelling is open to the public (without ranger guided tour) and is an easy stroll down a paved trail. The descent is probably around 100 feet; so remember you will have to go back up at some point! :) What made this little location so cool was that there was a Kiva that you could actually go into! A... More

! mile round trip hike on a paved trail with native vegetation and birds - well preserved site that allowed you to feel like you could imagine how it was back in the olden days

Although this Park is open year round, the road conditions may or may not be suitable for the long drive into the heart of Mesa Verde – our day was sunny but cool. Once we parked at the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum car park the temps climbed enough to ditch the sweaters and after hiking down to Spruce Tree House... More

The drive up to the top featured spectacular views of the surrounding region, but the Spruce Tree House topped that by a mile...amazing remnant of an ancient civilization - hard to imagine not only how they accessed this location with only primitive means, but then managed to carve out their living space with primitive tools - mind boggling.