Mesa Verde National Park, CO
A paved mesa loop to cliff dwellings and ancestral villages.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
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.
See the Mesa Verde audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Wetherill Mesa and Long House“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
“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
Long House Loop is a paved, roughly 5-mile circuit around the top of Wetherill Mesa, starting by the information pavilion and reaching the Badger House Community and the Long House and Kodak House overlooks. Published estimates range from about 5 to 6 miles. Use 5 miles as the planning figure for this full loop. Allow about three hours if you stop at the sites.
The path is paved and open to hikers and bikes. The park rates it moderate and lists 177 feet of elevation change. The route crosses an open mesa landscape with scattered fire-scarred woodland; the 2000 fire left the trail without shade. The smooth surface helps, but the distance, sun and altitude make this more than a quick stroll.
The circuit reaches four excavated mesa-top villages at Badger House, representing about 600 years of Ancestral Pueblo history. Wetherill Mesa itself preserves nearly 700 years of that history. Take time to look at the village remains before heading back onto the loop.
The overlooks face cliff dwellings across the canyons. Long House is the park’s second-largest cliff dwelling; the overlook is not the ticketed ranger tour into its alcove. At Long House Overlook, include the canyon below the alcove in a phone photo to show the scale of the setting. Kodak House is another overlook stop on the paved circuit.
Leashed pets and bicycles are allowed on this paved loop. Pets are not allowed on the separate Long House alcove tour. Bikes are allowed on the trails beyond the pavilion, not on Wetherill Mesa Road.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ModerateBadger House Community Trail2.3 mi · 1.5 hr · At the trailheadFour mesa-top villages make this short walk worth the stop.
ModerateLong House Overlook Trail2 mi · 1.3 hr · At the trailheadA two-mile walk for a long view of Long House.
ModerateNordenskiold Site No. 16 Trail1.8 mi · 1.3 hr · At the trailheadA short walk to a 50-room cliff dwelling across Rock Canyon.
ModerateKodak House Overlook Trail4.5 mi · 2.5 hr · At the trailheadA paved mesa walk ends with a view into a cliff dwelling.
ChallengingLong House Tour2.3 mi · 2.1 hr · At the trailheadA strenuous ranger tour into a vast, 298-foot cliff dwelling.
ModerateStep House Trail1 mi · 1.3 hr · At the trailheadA short, steep loop reveals two Ancestral Pueblo occupations.
ChallengingSpruce Canyon Trail2.4 mi · 2 hr · 2.8 mi awayA steep loop into Mesa Verde's cool, shaded canyon.
ChallengingPetroglyph Point Trail2.4 mi · 2 hr · 2.8 mi awayA rugged loop to Mesa Verde petroglyphs and canyon views.
Sight · At the trailheadMug HouseAn Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwelling reached only on a ranger-led tour.
Sight · At the trailheadWetherill Mesa PavilionWetherill’s road-end hub for trail starts and seasonal snacks.Sight · 0.1 mi awayStep HouseTwo eras of Ancestral Pueblo life share one sandstone alcove.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayNordenskiöld Site #16 OverlookA two-mile walk to a view of a 50-room cliff dwelling.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayBadger House CommunityFour village sites reveal ancestral Pueblo life on the mesa.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayLong HouseA cliff village of more than 150 rooms, explored with a ranger.Sight · 0.8 mi awayLong House OverlookA two-mile walk to see Long House across the canyon.Sight · 1.4 mi awayKodak House OverlookA long, exposed walk pays off with Kodak House across the canyon.Parkwolf’s Mesa Verde ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
