Parking
Roadside parking is available at the Farming Terrace trailhead along the Cedar Tree Tower spur road.
Overview
About Farming Terrace Trail
Why go
- A close-up look at ancient dryland farming
- Short loop with a clear archaeological payoff
Heads up
- Rocky tread and a climb out of the drainage
- Little shade
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mesa Verde map
Full mapElevation7,047–7,113 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Mesa Verde alerts
- ClosureRoad improvements close Far View and Cedar Tree Tower access roadsMentions Cedar Tree Tower, referenced in this guideRoad 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 Farming Terrace 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
Cedar Tree Tower and Farming Terraces0:00 / 0:33
“Cedar Tree Tower and the Farming Terrace Trail are coming up. Stop for a quick look at the unusual tower beside a kiva, visible from the small parking area.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mesa Verde Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Spruce Tree Terrace Café and Chapin Mesa Picnic Area
- Spruce Tree House and Mesa Verde Museum
- Color on the Walls
- The Date Inside a Roof Beam
- 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 Farming Terrace Trail
The loop and its payoffFarming Terrace Trail is a 0.
Farming Terrace Trail is a 0.5-mile loop along the Cedar Tree Tower spur road, dropping into a side drainage and climbing back out in about 30 to 40 minutes. Take it for a close look at ancestral Pueblo check dams, not a grand overlook. Cedar Tree Tower is a separate short walk farther along the road, so count that as extra distance.
How the terraces workedMore than 800 years ago, Ancestral Pueblo farmers built low check dams across natural drainages.
More than 800 years ago, Ancestral Pueblo farmers built low check dams across natural drainages. They slowed summer-storm runoff and trapped soil and moisture where crops could grow. The clearest lines of stone walls are down in the wash; a larger dam on the return draw is partly hidden by brush. Look for lizards, hummingbirds, and the plants growing around the old fields.
Effort and accessThe route crosses rocky ground, descends into the drainage, then climbs back to the road.
The route crosses rocky ground, descends into the drainage, then climbs back to the road. It is short but has little shade, and some stretches are too rough for strollers. Pets and bicycles are not allowed, and trails are day-use only. Stay on the path to protect archaeological features and fragile soil; nearby canyon edges are unstable.
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.
