Mesa Verde National Park -- Cliff Palace Trail - October 22, 2010 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Mesa Verde National Park -- Cliff Palace Trail |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Colorado |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | October 22, 2010 |
| Duration: | 50 minutes |
| Trail Conditions: | Excellent |
| Trail Traffic: | Heavy |
| Trip Weather: | Cloudy |
| Trip Winds: | Light |
| Trip Precipitation: | Rain |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 31-40, Low: 31-40 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | On our way to the Cliff Palace Loop we had missed our turn and found ourselves on the Mesa Top Loop looking across the canyon at Cliff Palace -- about 10 miles by road from the trail head with only 15 minutes to make it. National Park roads have a low speed limit, but we sort of ignored that as we raced to the other side of the canyon, arriving at the parking lot precisely at the 4PM time for our ranger-guided tour to begin. We met the ranger going in and he gave a 10-minute talk at the overlook before we went through the locked gate at the top of the stairs, so we would have had plenty of time anyway. The steel steps were wet from the most recent rainstorm as we descended, but they were not as slippery as the stone steps below that, or the paved trail below the stone steps. The rain held off until we were all safely under the cliff overhang amongst the ruins of Cliff Palace. We were only allowed to explore around one kiva and adjacent ruins, and look inside one tower. The whole time we were down there, we were either on the trail at the outer edge of the ruins, or in one of three places the ranger gathered us for the narration. At the kiva, the ranger stood out in the weather while we were dry under the cliff. While he talked, the rain turned to snow, so he cut the tour short and led us out. The stone steps going up were incredible, cut out of solid rock climbing through a narrow defile -- but not as incredible as the toeholds cut into the adjacent rock by the ancient Puebloans 700 years ago. By time we ascended the 50-foot ladder to the top of the mesa, the snow was mixed with rain, but it was coming down heavily. |
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