We are staying at Far View Lodge, located right inside Mesa Verda National Park. It is a nice lodge with great views from all the rooms. However the cell service and WiFi suck.

We had entered the park from Hwy 160 from Cortez when we arrived. However, it was a 45 minute drive from the park entrance to Far View. We arrived late in the day, so we just checked in and relaxed in our room. The next morning, we had to drive that 45 minute road back to the Visitor Center. It is not the distance that makes the drive slow, it is the curvy roads and elevation changes. It is still a very beautiful drive. When we got to the Visitor Center, we were able to confirm our ranger lead tours and pick up a few souvenirs.

We are touring the Cliff Palace with the park ranger. Unfortunately it is located just past our lodge. Another 45 min drive back over the mesa!

There are over 600 cliff dwellings in Mesa Verda National Park. The Cliff Palace is the largest with over 150 rooms. (It is the largest in North America). I had to descend 150 feet to get to it. Steps and ladders were involved. I did not fall! Ha ha! I learned a lot about the indigenous people that lived there over 800 years ago.

There are 2 Loop drives in the park. The Mesa Top Loop and the Cliff Palace Loop. On the Mesa Top Loop, we stopped at the Navajo Canyon View to see the Square Tower House. The Cliff Palace Loop gave us another view of the Cliff Palace and a nice view at Soda Point. Pretty cool, but they all do look the same.