Ancient Treasures / COME TO LIFE ANCIENT TREASURES IN MESA VERDE COUNTRY DAY 1 Make your homebase in Cortez , an hour from Mesa Verde National Park. Whether you stay at a B&B, cabin or guest ranch, Cortez offers a host of excellent dining and shopping opportunities. But save walking around town for later — you have a national park to explore. Stop by the Col-orado Welcome Center on Main Street to pick up the National Geographic Four Corners Region Map , which gives local insights into what the area has to offer. Then head to the “green table” of Mesa Verde National Park (1) , home to more than 4,000 arch-aeological sites, 600 of which are cliff dwellings. Orient yourself at the Vis-itor and Research Center , where you can pick up maps and brochures, see exhibits and purchase tickets for tours; only two cliff dwellings are open for self-guided tours, so if you want to go inside the amazing Cliff Palace, you must nab a spot on a guided tour. COLORADO One of the richest archaeological zones in America just happens to be hidden amid some of the grandest scenery in the Southwest. From the visitor center, browse the exhibits in the Chapin Mesa Archeolog-ical Museum . Then drive the Mesa Top Loop Road, a 6-mile overview of the entire park. On your way to Cliff Palace or Balcony House (2) , enjoy the drive on the Cliff Palace/Balco-ny House Loop Road. Or if you purchased tickets for Long House (3) , take Wetherill Mesa Drive. Back in Cortez, swing into the Ute Mountain Indian Trading Company for pottery, jewelry and other handmade treasures. Sample local wines from Guy Drew and Sutcliffe vineyards and watch artists create their work. Continued on next page. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, C2 PHOTOGRAPHY; AMERICAN INDIAN DANCER NEAR MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, ERIC LINDBERG; LONG HOUSE, @LIGHT_ON_NEGATIVES; BALCONY HOUSE, LAURENCE PARENT. 1 23 @light_on_negatives QUICK TIP Whatever route you take, download the Ancient Voices audio tour from mesaverdecountry.com to learn about the many archaeological attractions, as well as local history, Western stories, botany, cosmology, music and life in ancient Puebloan times. COLORADO.COM / 169
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2018: Page 169
