Parking
The Knife Edge trailhead is inside Morefield Campground; use the signed trail access and designated auto parking there. The café, camp store and restroom are at nearby Morefield Village, separate from the walk.
Overview
About Knife Edge Trail
Why go
- Broad northwest views for little climbing
- A piece of Mesa Verde’s historic entrance road
Heads up
- Out-and-back route
- Turn back before the final rockfall-restricted section
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mesa Verde map
Full mapElevation7,835–7,887 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Mesa Verde alerts
- CautionRockfall area on Knife Edge Trail—keep outMentions this trailDo 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
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mesa Verde Tour Guide
Your drive to Knife Edge 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
Knife Edge Trail0:00 / 0:24
“Knife Edge Trail is coming up, a mostly level walk from Morefield Campground along the old park road. Choose it for views across Montezuma Valley, especially in the late light.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mesa Verde Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Point Lookout
- Prater Ridge Trails
- Morefield Campground and Village
- Mancos Valley Overlook
- 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 Knife Edge Trail
A short walk above the valleyKnife Edge Trail follows part of Mesa Verde’s former entrance road from Morefield Campground.
Knife Edge Trail follows part of Mesa Verde’s former entrance road from Morefield Campground. The mapped walk covers about three-quarters of a mile each way, for 1.5 miles round trip, with less than 60 feet of relief. Allow 45 minutes to an hour, including time for the view. The full road corridor is often listed as 2 miles round trip; this route turns back before its final quarter, so follow the posted trail signs and use the shorter distance for the mapped walk.
Along the old roadThe start has a slight rise, then the walk is mostly level along the north edge of the mesa.
The start has a slight rise, then the walk is mostly level along the north edge of the mesa. The old road once carried the main park entrance route, and its alignment follows the rim above Montezuma Valley. Stay on the tread near the escarpment and leave the surrounding soil and plants undisturbed.
Look northwestThe view opens across Montezuma Valley, with Sleeping Ute Mountain near the western horizon and…
The view opens across Montezuma Valley, with Sleeping Ute Mountain near the western horizon and Totten Reservoir and Summit Lake farther away. The late light is the draw here. For a photo, keep some of the stone-edged path in the foreground with the valley beyond; the trail setting shows how close the route runs to the rim.
A road with a long second lifeA ridge path called Crinkly Edge was described in 1892.
A ridge path called Crinkly Edge was described in 1892. In 1911, this narrow, steep line became part of Mesa Verde’s main entrance road. A safer bypass through Morefield and Prater Canyons took over by 1914; the scenic road reopened in 1924 and stayed in use until the Morefield-Prater tunnel opened in 1957. The trail preserves part of that earlier approach to the park.
A good place to watch for birdsThe trail passes through open meadow, oak chaparral and Douglas-fir woodland.
The trail passes through open meadow, oak chaparral and Douglas-fir woodland. Springs along the cliffs draw birds; orange-crowned warblers, western tanagers and lazuli buntings are among the species associated with the area. Treat those as seasonal possibilities, not a checklist.
Before you goThe trailhead is within Morefield Campground.
The trailhead is within Morefield Campground. Nearby Morefield Village has a café, camp store and restroom, but those are separate from the walk and their hours vary. This is a day-use trail; pets and bicycles are not allowed. Mesa Verde sits above 7,000 feet, and the exposed route can be hot in summer, so plan around heat and bring water.
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.
