Conditions and Alerts

Alerts

Winter Weather and Driving

When weather conditions warrant, the Passenger Vehicle Traction and Chain Laws are active. Know the requirements before driving in Colorado and especially in the park. Find the laws at Passenger Vehicle Traction & Chain Laws — Colorado Department of Transportation. 

Just because a road is plowed does not mean that all vehicles and drivers are equipped for it. Make your visit a safe one—research conditions, assess your vehicle, and plan ahead.

Drive with caution and give the park's roads crew plenty of time and space to do their jobs.

 

Helpful Links

• Weather
• Operating Hours & Seasons
• Visitor and Research Center on Hwy 160
• Mesa Verde Museum 20 miles from entrance
• Where to Pay Your Entrance Fee

The Park is Open Year Round

Current park closures are listed below. The Helpful Links will guide you to more information as you plan your trip.  

Important Holiday Closure of Visitor Services

The Visitor and Research Center, andMesa Verde Museum are open daily but closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. See below for holiday closure of the concession's food service.

 

Area Closures

Cliff Palace Loop Road

Due to construction on the viewing platform, the Cliff Palace Loop Road (including access to Soda Canyon Overlook Trail) is closed. Great views of Cliff Palace are seen from Sun Temple on the Mesa Top Loop. Follow the link to the park map.

Wetherill Mesa

The Wetherill Mesa area of Mesa Verde National Park and the road to Wetherill, are closed for the 2024 season to accommodate the continued construction of a new contact station at Wetherill. The prior structure was affected by a past fire and in need of replacement. The project will include demolition of the old structure, removal of the concrete and steel, and construction of the new station. There will be material staging, a construction zone, and large truck traffic on the narrow roadway causing the potential for visitor safety concerns.  

After much discussion regarding safety and the quality of visitor experience, the decision was made to not open Wetherill Mesa to the public in 2023, and as the construction project has not been completed the closure will extend through 2024. Read the full news release here.

Spruce Tree House

Spruce Tree House has been closed to visitors since 2015, due to a danger of rock fall. Visitors can view Spruce Tree House from overlooks behind the Mesa Verde Museum in the Park Headquarters area. The National Park Service is working on a project to stabilize the arch so that the site may be reopened. More information about the closure is found on the Spruce Tree House Closure page.

 

Sleeping and Eating

Lodging and Camping

• Far View Lodge, the only lodging within Mesa Verde National Park, is closed for the winter season. Please look for accomodations in the gateway communities of Mancos, CO, and Cortez, CO.
• Morefield Campground is closed for winter. It will reopen in April 2025. There is no overnight camping anywhere in the park. Camping during winter is very limted in the area. Lodging may be easy to find.

Where to Eat

During winter, the only food service in the park is at Spruce Tree Terrace. It is open 11:00 am - 2:00 pm. daily. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. Convenient cafeteria service near Mesa Verde park headquarters and the Museum.