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A Tour of Mesa Verde National
Park
 Introduction
Mesa Verde, Spanish for
“Green Table,” is the first national park established to protect
works of man rather than works of nature. The area the park now
protects was once the home of the Ancestral Puebloan (sometimes
known by the Navajo word “Anasazi”) people. The Ancestral
Puebloans lived at Mesa Verde an estimated 700 years from 600-1300
A.D. It is not known why they abandoned the hundreds of cliff
dwellings and mesa top communities that exist here. Drought (which
has been proven by tree ring analysis to have occurred in Mesa
Verde near the end of Ancestral Puebloan residence here), internal
political strife, threat of attacks by neighboring tribes or
disease are also possible explanations. Mesa Verde’s inhabitants
are thought to have moved south into parts of Arizona and New
Mexico. Today more than 20 existing tribes including the Pueblo,
Hopi and Zuni claim to be descendants of the Ancestral Puebloans.
Despite the reason for the migration of the “ancient ones” the
magnificent ruins and artifacts they left behind continue to
intrigue visitors from around the world, including photographers.
This guide is meant to highlight some of the sites of Mesa Verde
National Park from a photographer’s perspective. I have
illustrated this guide with many of my own photos taken during
several trips to Mesa Verde but to see additional images please
view
The Scenic
Southwest Gallery.
Photography Tips
Depending on the time
of day you photograph a particular ruin the two most desirable
types of lighting conditions are direct light on the ruin
structures (usually late afternoon at most locations) and light
reflecting on the ruins from the opposite canyon walls (usually
late morning). Direct light here usually leads to very warm,
saturated and sometimes contrasty images while reflected light
usually leads to evenly-shaded, subtle, pastel-colored images.
Many of the ruins, usually at midday, will be half in light, half
in shadow which can be dramatic but extremely challenging lighting
situations to capture as well. The type of light you prefer is a
personal preference that will become apparent to you after
practicing your photography for any length of time at Mesa Verde.
The light you
photograph in will also largely dictate your camera settings and
filter choices. If shooting digital keep watch of your color
balance. Your camera’s “shade” setting is wise to use when you are
photographing ruins in strong shade. “Cloudy” settings are useful
to warm your images up if you detect the subtle glow of reflected
light on the ruins while you are in moderate shade. “Sunny”
settings work well while in harsher direct light. If you are a
more advanced user try manually selecting your exact color
temperature and keep an eye on it as the light changes. If
shooting film, filters such as Tiffen 812s and slide films that
have warmer color balances such as Kodak Ektachrome 100GX
(formerly 100SW) are definitely of use here. Saturated, contrasty
films, like Fuji Velvia 50/100, or moderately increasing your
digital camera’s settings to add saturation can be useful to make
direct light situations “pop” even more since the adobe ruins are
rather colorless naturally. Polarizer filters can also be helpful
to intensify direct light or cut through haze when photographing
from overlooks. Graduated neutral density filters will be
necessary if you attempt to photograph in the half-shade/half-sun
conditions of sites at midday. If you have a digital camera with
options for shadow recovery, a careful use of these settings can
help bring out structures deep in the ruins that can often look
muddy or dark on many films.
You will need a variety
of lenses to use for several different purposes at the park. Wide
angle lenses are necessary for your tours inside the ruins. They
will be required in order to frame the circular kivas that sink
low into the ground in combination with the dwellings that tower
above at most sites. Medium-range lenses are also useful on tours
or on the trail in case you encounter wildflowers, desire tighter
comps of ruin structures or use windows for creatively-framed
compositions. Telephoto lenses are a must to photograph the often
distant sites
visible from roadside overlooks. Telephotos are also handy to
photograph the surprising amount of wildlife you may see here
including lizards, desert bighorn sheep, coyotes, songbirds,
raptors, some of the biggest jackrabbits you’ll ever see and much
more.
A tripod will be useful
at the self-guided locations such as Spruce Tree House and Step
House, at the overlooks where you’ll need to support your
telephoto lenses or if you get the rare chance to participate in a
photo workshop at the park, see below! However, using tripods on
the regular ranger-led tours such as those at Cliff Palace or Long
House can be an undesirable hassle due to the limited tour time,
the brisk pace in which the groups rotate through the ruins during
the rangers’ interpretive speeches and fellow visitors who are
usually unsympathetic to your mission of making photos without
people present. You will also find you have greater mobility
(which will lead to more time to shoot and explore) without a
tripod in these situations.
Getting Around
Mesa Verde is about a
1.5-hour drive west of Durango, Colorado and about an hour’s drive
east of Cortez, Colorado. The are multiple ways to experience Mesa
Verde whether your interests (along with photography of course)
lie in auto touring, hiking, exploring archaeological sites
firsthand or viewing wildlife. The majority of the park’s sights
are accessible by car except for a few short trails to overlooks,
the longer hiking trails and a portion of Wetherill Mesa that is
accessible only by a vehicular tram (which can be described as
like a large golf cart driving canopied cars with padded bench
seats for visitors behind) that runs beyond the mesa’s visitor
center beginning at a large parking lot near Step House.
The park can be
essentially divided into three distinct regions:
- The North Rim which
comprises the first 15 miles of highway between the park
entrance and Far View Visitor Center, is home to the Morefield
Campground and features a series of roadside overlooks.
- Chapin Mesa which is
the most frequently visited area of the park, where the largest
concentration of cliff dwellings occurs, is open year-round
(weather permitting) and is divided into two loops with several
overlooks for auto touring.
- Wetherill Mesa which
is quieter and less-visited than Chapin Mesa, is usually only
open from Memorial to Labor Day and where taking the tram is
necessary to reach most sites and overlooks (with the exception
of Step House).
Tickets are available
at the Far View Visitor’s Center for tours into the Cliff Palace,
Balcony House and Long House sites. You MUST stop at the visitor’s
center to purchase tickets before going on to the sites. In each
description below of these locations I have outlined optimal times
of day to purchase your tour for photography purposes. These tours
require some hiking, climbing on steep ladders or crawling through
narrow passages. This is something to consider seriously if you
have relevant mobility or medical issues.
A Note Regarding the
Park’s Wildfire History
While touring the park
reminders of past wildfires are obvious and spread throughout
several locations. Since 1934 there have been more than a dozen
major fires, four of which occurred in a severe drought from
2000-2003 which caused the burning of more than 36,600 acres of
pinion, juniper and mountain shrub. Fires have elicited tense
rescues of archaeological treasures by firefighters who
courageously maintained fire lines protecting several cliff
dwellings as well as led to the discovery of new sites previously
not seen under vegetation. According to NPS, about 95 percent of
the fires at the park are started by natural causes, usually
lightning, but this does not give visitors an excuse to be
reckless. Always be careful with the way you tend any open flame
including campfires, matches or even cigarettes. As a photographer
this legacy apparent in acres of charred forest is no reason to
despair, rather it offers opportunities to document this natural
process by making unusual pictures of the twisting, textured snags
of trees touched by flame.
NORTH RIM OVERLOOKS
There are four
overlooks between the park’s entrance gate and the first
concentration of ruins. The first two: Mancos Valley and Montezuma
Valley are directly off of the road and are suitable for quick
stops for snapshot photos or to stretch your legs but are not
quite as photogenic as the third, Park Point Overlook. This
overlook is the highest point in the park and requires a short
walk beyond the parking area toward a fire lookout. Once you reach
the lookout and mesa edge there is an impressive view below of the
rocky mesa folds and above to the northeast where the La Plata
Mountains tower over the mesa mightily. Other peaks of the San
Juan Range are seen in the distance directly to the north and the
La Sal Mountains of Utah are visible to the west on a clear day.
The fourth overlook, Geologic, also requires a very short walk to
the edge and provides a similar, but not quite as sweeping, view
as Park Point.
CHAPIN MESA
Far View Sites
The Far View Sites are
unique due to the fact that they were built on the mesa top and
are far to the north of the concentration of the park’s other
sites. These ruins of a farming community are definitely worth a
visit but are challenging from a photography perspective since
they are quite large and spread out. There are however
opportunities to compose creative images of the sites’
stagger-stepped walls, small windows, large kivas and even the
remains of a reservoir. This is a nice area to visit at sunrise or
early morning due to its proximity to the park entrance and the
fact that tour tickets are not required for access.
Cedar Tree Tower
A half-mile-long spur
from the main road just before you reach the four-way stop leads
to Cedar Tree Tower. This short self-guided diversion is worth a
visit to quickly photograph the tower or to take a half-mile hike
along the Farming Terrace Trail. Here you may view examples of
check dams built by the Ancestral Puebloans to collect runoff used
for farming practices. The mysterious tower itself was built next
to a kiva and might be a manifestation of Puebloan ceremonial
beliefs of the dichotomy between realms existing both above and
below ground. It is also speculated that these types of towers
could have been used as grain silos, lookouts or part of a
communication system.
Spruce Tree House
Without a doubt this is
the most impressive site in the park that you can explore close-up
at your leisure without having to buy a ticketed tour for access
in the spring through fall. It is also the best preserved cliff
dwelling in the park. Its rounded towers, multi-windowed facades
and spacious courtyards where ladders descend into subterranean
kivas are a pleasure to photograph from an endless variety of
angles. Be sure to climb down into the open kiva (there is usually
a ranger here to direct the traffic of visitors traveling up and
down the ladder so its location is obvious). Photos inside the
dark kiva can be difficult to expose correctly but there are
options to overcome this obstacle. You can spot meter on the
brightest amount of light in the beam emanating from the roof hole
above the ladder to help prevent overexposure but this will likely
leave the background very dark. Try adding flash on a
rear-curtain/slow setting combined with a warming filter over the
flash or lens (or both) to bring out the details in the interior
of the kiva and maintain a natural look. In the winter Spruce Tree
House is also where you may experience the luminaria lighting
(electronic lamps that mimic candlelight are placed at the site
and lit which makes it appear as if the site is still occupied by
its original denizens). This event usually takes place in December
and can be a unique, beautiful shot at twilight, especially when
the site is viewed in its entirety from across the canyon near the
Chapin Mesa Museum. Check the park’s website for the day in which
this will be held each year. Ranger-led tours of the site also
occur during other winter days when conditions allow.
Petroglyph Point Trail
Are you ready for a
hike? This 2.5-mile trail loop begins at the Chapin Mesa Museum
(with a short spur to visit Spruce Tree House) and takes you to an
interesting panel of petroglyphs at about the halfway point.
Hikers must register at the trailhead or museum before embarking.
The well-defined trail is an easy one with a few rocky moderate
spots that might require more care. The trail looses about 300
feet of elevation on the descent but gains about the same amount
on the climb back. Late spring and early summer are probably the
most enjoyable times to experience the trail since you may see a
variety of blooming cacti and wildflowers including bright red
varieties of penstemon, purple vetch varieties and scarlet gilia.
Be sure to bring plenty of water especially in the summer months.
Mesa Top Loop:
Square Tower House
Overlook
The most
architecturally astounding ruin in the park might be the
four-story tower at Square Tower House viewed from this must-see
overlook. I prefer photographing from this place in the direct
light of late evening which bathes the tower in a warm glow and
sets it off with interesting shadows. There are also good
opportunities to photograph from this overlook in the late morning
when softer reflected light from the opposite side of the canyon
illuminates the tower if you prefer a more evenly-lit composition
without deep shadows. A telephoto lens in 200-300mm range will be
the most useful for isolating the tower but interesting
compositions can be made of more of the surrounding ruin and the
combination of the alcove and mesa top using wider lenses.
Sun Temple
On the mesa top
adjacent from Cliff Palace (and be aware there is a nice view of
Cliff Palace from here), the purpose for this site’s construction
is an archaeological mystery. Built after the nearby cliff
dwellings, Sun Temple shows no evidence of human habitation and
appears as if it was abandoned before construction was completed.
Like the Far View sites, the Sun Temple is also a challenge to
photograph due to its high outer walls which conceal the
complexity of site’s interior. A lack of vantages overlooking the
site can be frustrating but you might be able to raise your camera
above the walls carefully with the assistance of a tripod and
timed shutter release for an aerial view of the two kiva outlines,
cell-like rooms and the large tree growing in the middle of the
ruin. Also look for interesting framing options for you photos by
using Sun Temple’s windows which give peeks into the site’s series
of inner corridors.
Cliff Palace Loop:
Cliff Palace (tour
tickets required)
Probably the most
recognizable and popular of all the Mesa Verde sites is Cliff
Palace. It is also the largest site with more than 150 rooms.
There is an overlook near the main parking lot that provides
excellent panoramic views of the cliff dwelling from above which I
definitely recommend. This view looks best in the early to
late-afternoon. However, only
photographing from the overlook is not enough. To truly appreciate
the majesty of this site you should walk among the ruins. If you
only have time to buy one ticketed tour in the park this is the
one to purchase. Try to get a place on one as late in the
afternoon as possible as the light gets warmer and shadows make
the large towers and cracks in the canyon walls really stand out.
The tour is roughly an hour long and moves briskly around the
cliff dwelling as the ranger gives compelling information about
the lifestyle of the Ancestral Puebloans who occupied the
dwelling. The site is expansive enough that it usually isn’t a
problem to find enough room for your photos without including your
fellow visitors in your images especially if you stay toward the
back of the tour. Wide angle lenses used to include both the
dwelling’s towers and kivas as well as lenses in the 50mm lenses
for more frame-filling compositions of the structures are all
useful here. Cliff Palace usually offers the widest window of
tours during the season available in spring through fall.
Balcony House (tour
tickets required)
The most challenging of
the major sites to reach physically is Balcony House. The voyage
is definitely worth it but getting there requires a spot on a
ranger-led tour as well as the ability to climb a few steep,
precipitous ladders and squeeze through a narrow passageway. Try
to get to the front of the line going through the passage since
this will give you some time to photograph the site ahead of time
before it becomes cramped with your fellow tour-takers. Because of
the site’s smaller size a wide angle lens is necessary. When you
arrive you’ll be treated to a collection of large kivas and other
unusual structures. Be sure to photograph the “kachina face”
windows of the largest tower (it will obvious as it’s the tower
with the long protruding wood support beam and the windows below
the beam look like two eyes and a mouth), framed views through
windowed hallways and the balcony which is the namesake of the
site located at the far end of the ruin. Mid to late-morning is my
favorite time to photograph here since the reflected light from
the opposite canyon gives the site a subtle glow and the entire
dwelling is covered in shadow. Be aware that tours may not be
offered here before late-May or after early October.
WETHERILL MESA
Step House
In my opinion this is
the most underrated site in the park. Like Spruce Tree House,
touring this ruin is self-guided and does not require a ticket.
Park your vehicle at the lot (this is the place where the road
ends and the Wetherill Mesa tram begins) and take a short hike
down to this location. Step House is unique for the reason that
you can find remains of several different building styles all in
one place. There are examples of construction from an early
Puebloan era called pithouses, one of which has been reconstructed
by the park service to show what it might have looked like when in
use, as well as oblong-shaped kivas and cliff dwelling towers
which were built in later times. Be sure to look for the
petroglyphs scrawled into the large rock faces above the kivas.
Long House (tour
tickets required)
The second largest
cliff dwelling in the park is the fantastic Long House. It is
visible from an above overlook reachable by taking the tram.
Afternoon is a good time to photograph from this overlook. Some
dwellings will be in direct sunlight, others will be cloaked in
the shadow of the overhang above. This is an interesting but
tricky shot due to the difference in dynamic range so bring a
graduated neutral density filter or plan on combining different
exposures in your favorite photo editing software later. Later in
the afternoon as the sun sets the shadows eventually cover the
ruin and the light becomes softer. The latest available times when
shadow has covered the site are best to schedule a ranger-guided
tour. When you get a close-up view of the ruins be sure to make
compositions using the numerous tall ladders, passageways and
walls with openings surrounded by jagged zigzagging adobe bricks
and the black streaks of desert varnish on the inner walls of the
cliff which look like sun rays shining above the highest tower.
Badger House Community
Not among the most
elegant of sites at Mesa Verde, but worth a stop at least for
educational purposes. These ruins are on a self-guided trail that
passes several informational plaques which explain the more than
600-year evolution of the buildings here. The majority of the
sites are covered in large enclosures with tent overhangs that
while helping to keep the diminutive ruins in shade and protected
from the elements can be very distracting if included in the
background of your photos. Shooting the ruins at a downward angle
with a telephoto lens or creating close-up compositions will help
to minimize the unnatural look of the tents. Watch for ground
squirrels and other wildlife that continues to use this ancient
community site for shelter and food storage.
Kodak House
At the southernmost
point of the tram route a view of Kodak House is almost directly
accessible. A very short hike will get you to the overlook.
Despite its “photographic” name Kodak House is probably not one of
the most photogenic sites in the park. Nevertheless, this ruin
interestingly takes up two different creases of an alcove and has
one very large boxy tower and is worth the easy stop for a
picture. Have your telephoto lens and graduated neutral density
filters ready as the dwelling is a distance away and is half
covered in shadow, half in light during the majority of the day.
Nordenskiold 16
Overlook
Beginning at a tram
stop north of Long House, a mile-long hike will lead to an
overlook of Nordenskiold 16, a cliff dwelling that is slightly
better preserved than the aforementioned Kodak House. The site
continues to hold the name of a 19th century Swedish/Finnish
scholar who had a fondness for classifying Mesa Verde’s sites with
his own numbering system (and sometimes scratching these numbered
identifications conspicuously into rock overhangs or even on the
ruins themselves at several of the park’s sites). I don’t
recommend this trip unless you are not waiting for your tour to
begin at Long House and have some time to spare, otherwise this is
an interesting view of a rarely-visited ruin.
SPECIAL TOURS
In 2006 I was fortunate
to be able to travel to Mesa Verde for a special hike to Oak Tree
House (which had not been open to the public since the early
1930s) and a photo workshop that included access to Mug House
(which had not been open to the public since its excavation and
stabilization during the Wetherill Mesa Project in the late
1950s). These tours were offered for by the Mesa Verde Institute
for the park’s centennial celebration. Some of these events were
also held as late as 2010 and may be held again in the future.
Keep an eye on the Mesa Verde Institute’s website for details as
all of these tours require pre-registration and small fees when
offered.
Oak Tree House
This dwelling can be
viewed in the distance and photographed from the Sun Point View
near Sun Temple on the Mesa Top Loop but opportunities to hike
into the ruin are very rare. The site is composed of high stone
walls, a few small kivas, some tall, twisting towers at the front
of the site and a maze of structures that extend deep under the
alcove overhang in the back. The tree which gave the site its name
collapsed years ago and is no longer visible.
Mug House
Named for three mugs
tied together and found hanging inside one of its rooms, Mug House
was built about A.D. 1150 and likely supported 80 to 100 people.
Getting here requires a two-hour, three-mile round trip hike with
a few switchbacks, ladders and slight boulder scrambling. The hike
is definitely worth it for photographers however and I would
recommend it to anyone who has the time to buy a spot on one of
the infrequent ranger-led tours. This elegant site was built in a
wide alcove and features layered grassy terraces, deep kivas and
dwellings impressively built around large boulders and on top of
rock outcroppings.
Spring House
A strenuous day-long
hike of eight miles with steep dropoffs, switchbacks and a 1500-ft
elevation gain leads to this little-visited location. This is a
long, narrow dwelling with several substantial but slightly eroded
towers. Opportunities to view other rarely-seen sites are also
part of this ranger-guided tour. Check with the Mesa Verde
Institute for opportunities to register for future hikes.
Recommended Reading and
Links
Websites
National Park Service
Mesa Verde Home
Mesa Verde Institute
Mesa Verde Association
Visit Mesa Verde
Mesa Verde Country
The American Southwest
Books
Photographing the
Southwest, Vol. 3: A guide to the natural landmarks of Colorado
and New Mexico by Laurent Martres
Moon Handbooks Four
Corners: Including Navajo and Hopi Country, Moab, and Lake Powell
by Julian Smith |
