Parking
Use the lot beside the Wetherill Mesa Information Kiosk at the end of Wetherill Mesa Road. From the park entrance, allow about 45 minutes for the winding 12-mile drive; vehicles over 25 feet are prohibited on the road.
Overview
About Badger House Community Trail
Why go
- Four excavated villages and interpretive signs on one outing
- Mostly level walking apart from the hill to the fourth site
Heads up
- Little shade and limited water along the route
- Wetherill Mesa requires a long, seasonal drive
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mesa Verde map
Full mapElevation7,080–7,224 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Mesa Verde alerts
- ClosureRoad improvements close Far View and Cedar Tree Tower access roadsRoad improvements have closed the access roads to Far View Sites and Cedar Tree Tower to all traffic. - Road work on the first four miles of Main Park Road may cause delays of up to 15 minutes.Official details
- CautionRockfall area on Knife Edge Trail—keep outDo not enter the rockfall area along the last quarter of Knife Edge Trail; a serious rockfall occurred there. Check current trail information before hiking.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mesa Verde Tour Guide
Your drive to Badger House Community Trail, narrated.
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.
See the Mesa Verde audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Wetherill Mesa and Long House0:00 / 0:37
“You're approaching Wetherill Mesa Pavilion, the starting point for walks to the cliff dwellings. If you've reserved Long House, allow about two hours including the walk to the ranger meeting point.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mesa Verde Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- How the Rock Made Room
- The Date Inside a Roof Beam
- Spruce Tree House and Mesa Verde Museum
- Spruce Tree Terrace Café and Chapin Mesa Picnic Area
- 43 audio storiesacross Mesa Verde’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Mule Deer, Golden Eagle, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 22 trails, 48 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Badger House Community Trail
The full kiosk walkBadger House Community Trail is a 2.25-mile round trip from the Wetherill Mesa Kiosk.
Badger House Community Trail is a 2.25-mile round trip from the Wetherill Mesa Kiosk. Walk south on the gravel approach, pass the Nordenskiöld Site #16 junction and cross the paved Long House Loop to reach the village circuit; then return to the kiosk. The village circuit itself is about one mile. Allow roughly 1½ hours if you stop at the interpretive signs. The paths connect around the four sites, so follow the posted circuit rather than taking every spur.
Four villages, six centuriesThe route visits Modified Basketmaker Pithouse, a Developmental Pueblo village, Badger House…
The route visits Modified Basketmaker Pithouse, a Developmental Pueblo village, Badger House and Two Raven House. Together, these excavated mesa-top communities trace about 600 years of Ancestral Pueblo history. Interpretive signs explain the sites, and Badger House includes early pithouses.
Open, dry walkingThe first three sites are on relatively level ground, but a steep hill leads to the fourth.
The first three sites are on relatively level ground, but a steep hill leads to the fourth. The 2000 Pony Fire left this mesa without shade, and water is limited along the trails. Wetherill Mesa sits around 7,240 feet and is hot and dry; summer thunderstorms can bring lightning. The kiosk and Badger House have shelters.
Plan the driveWetherill Mesa is seasonal, so check access before setting out.
Wetherill Mesa is seasonal, so check access before setting out. The lot is by the kiosk at the end of Wetherill Mesa Road, a winding 12-mile drive that takes about 45 minutes from the park entrance; vehicles over 25 feet are not allowed on the road. A seasonal snack bar by the kiosk sells packaged food and drinks. Dogs are allowed on leash, and bicycles are allowed on the route.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Mesa Verde
36 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
160 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
14 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around noonSighting map
54 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.
