Cliff Palace
Tour this impressive, multi-storied ruin, home to over one hundred people over seven hundred years ago.
Plan Around Cliff Palace
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Cliff Palace Details
Tour the most famous and largest cliff dwelling in the park! An important trip planning note is that Cliff Palace will close on September 25, 2016, for major restoration work. This is an impressive, multi-storied ruin, facing south for sunshine and warmth during the winter months. Seven hundred years ago, Cliff Palace was the home to over one hundred people. Now, you can take a one-hour, quarter mile tour of its over 150 rooms. Be prepared to climb four ladders, making sure your hands are free, with a total elevation change of 100 feet. This extremely popular tour starts near the Cliff Palace overlook, a one-hour drive from the Visitor Center, which is 23 miles from the Visitor Center. You can tour Cliff Palace with a ranger from Memorial Day Weekend through late September every half hour from 9am to 6pm. Tours are $4 per person, and tickets are available in-person only at the Visitor and Research Center, Morefield Ranger Station, Colorado Welcome Center in Cortez, and the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum, which has more limited hours than your other ticket-purchasing locations.
Difficulty
Open
Distance
N/A
Estimated time
N/A
Region
Chapin Mesa
Nearby Parks Around Cliff Palace
Compare nearby parks around Cliff Palace when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Cliff Palace
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Cliff Palace while the map context is still fresh.
0.0 mi away
Cliff Palace
Tour this impressive, multi-storied ruin, home to over one hundred people over seven hundred years ago.
0.2 mi away
Soda Canyon Overlook
This is the only place where visitors can go at Mesa Verde to see the Balcony House without actually going on the guided tour.
0.3 mi away
Oak Tree House
Prepare for some hiking and climbing on this tour of the largest cliff dwelling in the park. Nothing but spectacular views.
0.3 mi away
Sun Point View
Looking across this canyon, it becomes self-evident how many of our ancestral people once called this place home.
0.6 mi away
Balcony House
A popular ranger-led tour that pushes your fear of heights to seek out a beautiful sunrise.
