The Coastal Campfires’ team travels the PNW and beyond in a restored, Subaru-powered, 1991 VW Westfalia camper van. In mid-2024, we checked off another bucket list item with a visit to Mesa Verde National Park in southern Colorado. Established in 1906, Mesa Verde spans 52,485 acres (82 SM) and is a National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as an International Dark Sky Park. The Park protects some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan habitat sites in the United States and in short, it is simply breathtaking.
Morefield Campground served as our basecamp for our three nights and while the individual sites were somewhat rustic and open and at 7800 feet in elevation, a tad cool at night and the early part of the day, it provided an excellent launch pad for exploring the park’s offerings. Flush toilets are dotted throughout the campground, and hot showers are available at the general store as is somewhat spotty wifi. There is also a gas station, coffee shops, cafes and gift stores offering authentic Puebloan pottery and other crafts. We found cell service to be spotty at best in most areas of the park. That said and in all, Morefield served as an ideal spot for reflecting on the day’s discoveries under the glow of the star-lit dark sky and a crackling Coastal Campfire.
The ancestral sites themselves are simply stunning – Cliff Palace, Balcony House and Spruce Tree House are almost too much to take in at once – the mind immediately begins imagining what life must have been like 1000 years ago for the inhabitants of these incredible builds. As we typically travel with a small dog, unfortunately we could not participate in the ranger-guided tours of the sites, but the Park provides excellent vantage points and interpretive centers to learn more about the original inhabitants and the sites themselves. While the sites themselves (and the creativity and resilience of the people who created them and lived there) are profound, not to be ignored is the breathtaking drive up the Mesa and into the park, admittedly a tad challenging in a vintage Westfalia.
Plan on blocking off at a minimum, a full day for exploring the Mesa. Every time we thought we'd seen everything, we'd drive around a bend and there in the cliffs would be another spectacular site. If you’re not bringing food with you, there are a couple of coffee shops and cafes with varied fare depending on the time of year. Water is your friend at all times and the air is thin at 8000 ft, so prepare ahead. If you have the time and are not fearful of heights, look to reserve a ranger-guided tour well in advance. We left Mesa Verde with a profound sense of calm and wonderment of what we saw. We know we will continue to treasure the memory of this place for a long time and we will remain eternally grateful to Ute tribe for making this sacred site accessible to visitors and guests.
