If you have time to see only one of Mesa Verde National Park’s cliff dwellings, make it this beautifully preserved site, visible from the museum.
As the best-preserved cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park, and the largest after Cliff Palace and Long House, Spruce Tree House is a favorite to visit at any time of year. Built between A.D. 1211 and 1278 by the Ancestral Puebloan people of southwestern America, the impressive dwelling features about 130 rooms and eight ceremonial kiva chambers. Note that the large alcove housing the dwelling measures 216 feet (66 meters) wide and 89 feet (27 meters) deep at its greatest width and depth.
Learn about the history of this fascinating place. In 1888 two local cattle ranchers discovered the abandoned cliff dwelling, which was once the home for 60 to 80 people. The ranchers climbed down a large Douglas fir, which was growing from the dwelling to the top of the mesa, and were able to enter the cliff house.
For many years, visitors were able to hike down a paved and winding path to enter Spruce Tree House, but due to rock fall and the resulting instability of the natural sandstone arch above the cliff dwelling, entrance has been prohibited since 2015. The park is completing a geotechnical assessment of the stability of the dwelling and will determine what engineering technology, if any, can ensure safety for public visitation.
Bring binoculars to view Spruce Tree House from the nearby Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. This building is one of the oldest modern structures in the National Park Service. It is part of the Mesa Verde Administrative District, a national historic landmark. Notice that the structure is composed of Cliff House sandstone, the same rock type used by the Ancestral Puebloan people to construct the Mesa Verde dwellings. It was built in the Modified Pueblo Revival Architecture style, reflective of the descendant communities. Within the museum, investigate displays illustrating Ancestral Puebloan life, prehistoric artifacts, a timeline of the local culture and more.
Find the museum and views of Spruce Tree House on Chapin Mesa, 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the Mesa Verde National Park entrance. Pay the weekly or annual fee for park entrance.
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