Long House Overlook

Long House Overlook is a viewpoint on Wetherill Mesa with a broad look across a canyon at Long House, Mesa Verde’s second-largest cliff dwelling. It’s a separate destination from the ranger-guided tour into the alcove: you see the rooms from across the canyon, not from inside them. The overlook is reached on a 2-mile round-trip hike from Wetherill Pavilion, so it’s a worthwhile stop if you want to see Long House in its setting and have time for a real walk.

The way back climbs uphill, and the trail has no shade or water access. A 2000 fire left much of Wetherill Mesa exposed, so expect an open walk. The area is seasonal; check current access before making the drive. From the Wetherill Road junction, allow 30 to 45 minutes for the winding 12-mile road to the pavilion. Public restrooms and a seasonal snack bar selling packaged food and drinks are by the pavilion, not at the overlook.

Long House has about 150 rooms and 21 kivas, including a row of upper storage rooms. Archaeologists estimate it may have housed 150 to 175 people. The large plaza, benches, vaults and raised firebox have led to the idea that this was also a public gathering place, perhaps for trade or community events; that interpretation is still tentative. For a photo, keep some of the canyon around the alcove in frame so the cliff dwelling’s setting stays part of the picture.

Long House was excavated and stabilized from 1959 to 1961 as part of the Wetherill Mesa Archaeological Project. The larger National Park Service and National Geographic Society project excavated 15 sites on the mesa between 1958 and 1963.