Entrance station · Mesa Verde National Park
Get a paper map before the long, winding mesa road.
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mesa Verde Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Mesa Verde National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center“You're nearing the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center at the park entrance. Stop here if you want help choosing sites or a compact introduction to the people who built them.”
Plays on the road 0.5 mi from Mesa Verde National Park Entrance Station in the Parkwolf Mesa Verde Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Mesa Verde's entrance station is two small kiosks between the lanes of the park road, where visitors buy entrance passes. It's a practical entry checkpoint; the Mesa Verde Visitor & Research Center is a separate facility near the US-160 entrance.
Printed park brochures are available at the station, a useful thing to collect before heading farther into the park. Visitor centers also have them, and the NPS can send one by request.
The principal mesa-top sites, cliff dwellings, tours and museum are about 20 to 21 miles south, roughly a 45-minute drive beyond the gate. The park road is steep, narrow and winding, so leave enough time for the trip in before planning a tour.
Wildlife
36 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
159 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
14 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around noonSighting map
53 sightingsWild HorseMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
24 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
37 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Mesa Verde. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModeratePoint Lookout Trail2.2 mi · 2 hr · 1.7 mi awaySteep switchbacks lead to valley views and the winding park road.
EasyKnife Edge Trail1.5 mi · 45 min · 2 mi awayA level old road, a wide sunset view over Montezuma Valley.
ChallengingPrater Ridge Trail7.8 mi · 4 hr · 2.4 mi awayTwo loops open onto canyons on opposite sides of the ridge.
ModeratePrater Ridge North Loop Trail5.7 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayA steady climb opens to Montezuma Valley and San Juan views.ModeratePrater Ridge South Loop Trail4.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayA steady climb buys wide views into two canyon heads.
EasyPark Point Overlook Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 4.4 mi awaySteep paved climb to Four Corners views from Mesa Verde's high point.
Visitor center · 0.5 mi awayMesa Verde Visitor and Research CenterSee pottery and farming exhibits before driving deeper into the park.Sight · 1.1 mi awayPoint LookoutA 2.2-mile climb earns big valley-and-mountain views.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayMorefield Campground AmphitheaterRanger talks here carry on an evening tradition from 1907.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayMancos OverlookA quick roadside panorama across Mancos Valley.
Campground · 2.1 mi awayMorefield CampgroundCamp inside Mesa Verde, four miles beyond the entrance.
Store · 2.3 mi awayMorefield Campground StoreA quick camp check-in and a fix for the forgotten essential.
Restaurant · 2.3 mi awayKnife Edge CaféSave a summer morning for all-you-can-eat pancakes.
Gas station · 2.4 mi awayMorefield Gas StationYear-round gasoline about four miles beyond the entrance.Parkwolf’s Mesa Verde ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
