About This Trip
Full Day Tours in Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is unlike any other national park in the United States. It is an expansive outdoor museum spanning across 52,000 acres, with over 5,000 archaeological sites spread throughout. Exploring the ruins of Mesa Verde with an experienced guide promises for a deeper appreciation and full experience of the park.
Mesa Verde Discovery Tours are led by incredibly knowledgeable guides who have studied the mysterious and complex legacy of the Ancestral Puebloans. The “Ancient Ones” left far more mementos behind than just their looming palaces, to which your guides will share throughout the day as you explore their abandoned villages, artifacts, and cliff dwellings.
With their guidance, you will learn more than you can retain about the history, culture, and architecture of the sites you visit around the park. If this is your one shot at Mesa Verde, you will undoubtedly value this comprehensive, interpretive tour. As for the vessel of your voyage, our tour vehicles are in comfortable and air-conditioned vans that allow you to take in the scenery between each stop.
- Witness the largest archaeological preserve and cliff dwelling in the United States.
- Explore ancient ruins for a snapshot into North American life 1,500 years ago.
- Mesa Verde is so saturated with artifacts, pottery shards and arrowheads still scatter the ground throughout the park.
- Views of the lush canyons, everlasting valleys, and surrounding mountain ranges are incredible sites all their own.
- Experience a National Park that comes with serenity, where traffic is always light and sites can be enjoyed without crowds.
Itinerary
*Note: this is an example itinerary.
Booking Options
Mesa Verde Discovery Standard Tour
Explore all of the top sites of Mesa Verde with a knowledgeable guide along the way, with a ranger guided tour of Cliff Palace along the way! The shuttle to, through and from the park is in our comfortable tour van.
Accommodates up to 10 guests.
- All Ages
Mesa Verde Discovery Premium Tour
Explore all of the top sites of Mesa Verde with a knowledgeable guide along the way, with a ranger guided tour of Cliff Palace along the way! The shuttle to, through and from the park is in our comfortable tour van. A premium tour ensures a lower guest to guide ratio, with a maximum of 6 guests.
Accommodates up to 6 guests.
- All Ages
Per Person
$279
*Tickets to Cliff Palace are very competitive. We recommend booking at least two weeks in advance to ensure we’ll have tickets. We are not always able to accommodate late bookings since additional tickets are not always available.
Payments & Cancellations
Payment Options
- 1/2 down, 1/2 charged 30 days prior to trip.
- 1/3 down with remaining balance charged in thirds.
- Call for other arrangements!
Free Courtesy Hold
We don’t want you to miss out on this trip so we’ll hold your spots, payment-free, for 24hrs while you make your final arrangements & prepare for payment.
Fees
In addition to the listed trip cost, we collect an additional 9% for River and Land Access Fees (ie. Forest Service, BLM, City, Private Land Use).
Cancellation Policy
Receive a full refund with written notice 24 hours or more before the trip.
Trip Change Option
Up to 12 hours prior to departure, trips can be rescheduled for a different day and/or time. The price of this change policy is 5% of the total trip cost. Upgrade only available at time of reservation and must be applied to each seat.
Trip Departure Policy
We reserve the right to switch river/locations based on current conditions and a minimum number of participants. This trip requires 4 participants or paid seats to depart.
What to Wear & Bring
- Dress in layers as the temperatures fluctuate.
- Warm jacket (Spring & Fall tours)
- Warm Hat & Gloves (Spring & Fall Tours)
- Sun Hat
- Rain jacket
- Light Hiking Shoes
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Water Bottle – your guides will have water for refills!
- Money for souvenirs
- Camera
Important Considerations
Colorado Car Seat Law states children up to 8 years old must be in an appropriate car seat. Please bring your own.
Summer is cool in the morning and hot by the afternoon. In fall and spring the weather can fluctuate quite a bit, so bring layers with you just in case! Mesa Verde can be prone to afternoon rain showers! Bring some rain gear.
For the Cliff Palace tour, you’ll be climbing 3 small ladders up to the cliff dwelling. Wear the right shoes for this! If you would like to opt out of the tour, you are welcome to stay with our guide and observe Cliff Palace from a scenic overlook.
All Mesa Verde tours are in our comfortable tour vans. If you’d like a Jeep for your Mesa Verde tour, call us about our Custom Tours!
For those who would prefer to meet at the Mancos Chamber of Commerce at 9 AM instead of our Durango office at 8:15 AM, please select that option during check out, or notify us when making your reservation.
Due to park restrictions, we cannot pick up guests in Mesa Verde. We are unable to make any exceptions and apologize for any inconvenience.
Plan Your Trip
National & State Parks
National Monuments
Where to Stay
Best Times to Visit
Museums
Moab with Kids
Meet Location & Directions
- Mild to Wild Rafting & Jeep Tours
- 970-247-4789
- 50 Animas View Dr., Durango, CO 81301
- Get Directions
Related Adventures
Durango, CO
A full day tour! Includes lunch and tickets for Cliff Palace.
- Standard: Adult $189 | Youth $159
- Premium: $279
Mesa Verde & Durango
Explore Mesa Verde and La Plata Canyon all in one day!
Youth: $227.70
Adult: $273.70
La Plata Canyon
On the 1/2 day trip you’ll see panoramic views of mountain peaks and abundant wildlife.
- Standard Tour: Adult $119 | Youth $99
- Premium Tour: $149