Wilderness

Mesa Verde is the only national park established to protect cultural sites, like Square Tower House (photo above).  Wilderness within Mesa Verde is closed to public access to protect these fragile sites but tours are opportunities to visit sites and wilderness.

NPS Photo Mimi Gorman

Federal Wilderness at Mesa Verde

In 1976, over 8,000 acres of the park were designated as Mesa Verde Wilderness. There are two wilderness units approximately 300 feet north of the centerline on the Main Park Road and Wetherell Mesa Road and a larger third unit along the eastern boundary of the park.

Federal wilderness is a status that preserves large and relatively undeveloped landscapes for ecological, social, and cultural benefits as described in the Wilderness Act of 1964. Federal wilderness is the homelands of Indigenous peoples, the inspiration of many artists, the convener of connections shared with loved ones, the provider of mental and physical health opportunities, and much more. What does wilderness mean to you?

Federal Wilderness is the Homeland of Indigenous Peoples

Many laws, policies, and events in the decades and centuries prior to the passage of the Wilderness Act influence how people view the concept of wilderness and how they might perceive the Wilderness Act itself. Lands now managed as federal wilderness were forcibly taken from Indigenous peoples and later, from other marginalized groups. It is imperative to recognize that what we see today is the culmination of thousands of years of intentional land stewardship by the many people connected to these places. And the benefits of federal wilderness should reflect this mosaic of sustained connections.

 

Wilderness and Backcountry Access

Mesa Verde's designated wilderness does not currently offer "opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation" as stated in the Wilderness Act. The park's backcountry was closed to protect the cultural sites prior to the wilderness designation in 1978. A future public process to create a Wilderness Stewardship Plan would include consideration of opening opportunities for visitors to experience the designated wilderness at Mesa Verde National Park.

Hiking is limited to paved roads and identified public trails. This protects fragile, sacred, and irreplicable cultural sites and objects for which the park was designated. Visiting cliff dwellings is prohibited except when accompanied by a park employee.

 

NPS and Wilderness

The Wilderness Act of 1964 established the National Wilderness Preservation System, a national network of more than 800 federally-designated wilderness areas. These wilderness areas are managed by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and US Forest Service.

Wilderness offers refuge for wildlife and a place to seek connection, inspiration, sustenance, adventure, and more for each of us. NPS invites you to consider what wilderness means to you and to learn more about about wilderness in national parks.