Mesa Verde - Cliff Palace

At Spruce Tree House, anyone can get up close and personal.  However, at the other sites you must be on a Ranger guided tour.  Some of the sites are no longer available for a visit even with a Ranger because all human contact does some damage, even with care and conservation techniques.

This is the view from the platform where everyone can experience the wonder of this place.  From here a Ranger will take a group of up to 30 people on the tour.  Caution, there is climbing and tight places to navigate.  Beware if you have fear of heights and tight places.

You climb down the cliff face on a fairly steep, but protected path and come out on the open plateau which houses the pueblo.  The Ranger spends about half an hour with the group, explaining the life and culture as it is now understood. 

Now comes the fun part, and the reason I wouldn't even think about the tour (much to Tom's disappointment).  To get back to the rim of the cliff face you have to climb a 35 foot wooden ladder (not a modern ladder) through a chimney-like hole.  Claustrophobia, anyone?

 

 See the people in the lower left corner?  They are headed for the exit.

Now, if you look close, you'll find someone in blue in the lower right and someone else climbing out of the exit toward the top center.  Not for me, thanks.