For those of you who don't travel to southern CO often should check out Mesa Verde National Park…read more The location and methods of building by the Native Americans is incredible. This is a seasonal destination so try to come in the summer when the tours are running so you can walk and climb amongst some of the areas.

A wonderful and beautiful park!…read more Mesa Verde means 'green table'. This national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan ancestral sites in the United States (nps) - it celebrates people. The snowy peaks in the background is San Juan Mountain. We visit multiple Mesa Top Sites, (900-1100, nps). MTS means top archeological sites within this park. We first stop at the Far View Terrace Cafe for bathroom break and also pick up our lady guide; then driving up north, stopping at the PitHouse, ending the tour at the information & research center in early afternoon about 2pm, that includes an hour lunch at Far View Terrace Cafe, with a wonderful view. Two other cafes are the Spruce Tree Terrace Cafe, and the Knife Edge Cafe. The Cliff Palace is impressive. But the tour didn't take us there - only viewed it from afar. I actually bought a mug that changes with heat and a pretty conch bangle from the gift shop. The information center is cool; the museum is ok.

We took the train ride today from Durango -Silverton. We were in the train car with the open air,…read moretoday was a perfect day for it. Our attendant, was named Liam he was awesome he was knowledgeable, engaging, full of information, he made the train ride fun. Would definitely recommend. Taking the train ride.

We enjoyed the bus up / train back. Would definitely take that option again as 3.5 hours on a train…read morewas plenty. Beautiful views both ways. Coach was fine. Silverton exceeded expectations with lots of cute gift shops with nice items (not just generic dime store crap). Lots of places to eat as well. Don't miss checking out Blair Street with the Shady Lady among other historic shady activities. Ha! 5 stars. Would train again.

I was on my way to Santa Fe from Farmington, but I wanted to make a quick stop at least one museums…read morein the area. What surprised me was that they were open early! Considering that I wouldn't have been able to stop if it was the common museum hours like 10 or 11 am open, I was very thankful. Moreover the information they provide within the exhibit in the building (the aerial photos are awesome!), and the great booklet they hand you for the self guided tour through the ruins are excellent. Make sure to have a hat and wear good footwear, as there are no shades and the path down to the ruins are steep. Also don't forget to thank the museum staff, and buy something from the shop to support them!

Such a cool place to visit! Give yourself at least 2 hours to explore the outdoor ruins and museum…read more Truly a gem of a place to learn about indigenous building methods and art. We will definitely be back!

My parents, brother, his wife and kids, and my husband and our family all drove cross country to…read moremeet in Colorado -- us from Southern California and them from east Texas. We spent a week together exploring Durango and the attractions here. One of our favorite experiences was white water rafting with Mountain Waters. The staff was super communicative and helpful. We booked a moderate run with class 1-3 rapids, since we had a big range of ages (my Dad is 77 and we had a party of 10 with ages ranging down to my 10-y-o son). They advised that this would be best for our family, and they were correct. I'd love to come back and do some class 3-4 rapids now that we have had some experience. Our guide Hannah was knowledgeable and very kind. We had a great experience with the team. No complaints at all. Highly recommend.

My 3 kids and I did the rafting and train tour. It was the best day of our entire vacation it was…read moreour first time to raft. Dillion did a amazing job. Can't wait to come back

Julie was amazing. The history of Telluride and the stories of strange goings on all around the…read morehistoric downtown was very intriguing and well told. We would recommend to anyone.

I signed up for Julie's Telluride Walking Tours several weeks before I arrived in Telluride, and I…read morewas so glad I had. Julie reached out via email asking what my interests were, and together we cultivated 2 distinct tours, one in the town of Telluride (Ghost + History) and another, which was an excursion. Julie did not disappoint, in fact, both experiences were way-beyond my expectations. Julie was delightfully engaging, very much prepared, and local-lore knowledgable, She was an absolute joy to be around and learn from. Before flying to Telluride, I read Tomboy Bride, which is Harriet Fish Backus' account of living in the mines as an assayer's wife beginning in 1904. Julie built on that historical accounting with a thoughtful discussion, and a tour of some of the less-talked about locations, notably the 'cribs' near the river and their function, along with a visit to the Sheridan Opera House (1913 Vaudeville) and other important locations. The standout experience, for me, was the excursion and hike to Mystic Falls, with historical stops along the way, including a great view of Trout Lake. I include a triumphant pic of Mystic Falls after a relatively easy hike down to the rocks. I cannot say enough about how fortunate I felt to have known and learned from Julie. Sign up for her tours, you will not regret it.

Amazing ghost tour!! And let me tell you these two pictures did capture something pretty strange.read more

Joe Nelson was an excellent guide. Has lots of knowledge about Durango and lots of connections to…read morethe places he mentions on the tour! Great for tourists out of town!

Beautiful and beautifully, displayed artifacts and historical information. The people are great and…read morehelpful. The site is beautiful, up on the hill, with the Escalante Pueblo on the very top. It has a large Kiva and rooms, well preserved. The interpretive signs on the walk up are great, about the local flora and how it was harvested and used. We were all adults visiting so for us it was awesome. Learned so much again about these amazing people and their culture and craftsmanship.

This place does not accept cash. The notes that are legal tender for ALL debts, public and private…read moreare not accepted at a national monument. I drove out of my way to come see this place and they don't accept American dollars. Guess they don't want my money. I just feel that I should be able to pay with cash at a national monument.

Wow, Cliff Palace completely blew my mind. I was amazed at the dwellings we saw, how well preserved…read morethey were, and our guide gave us so much information throughout the tour. You need to book a tour in order to get close to the dwellings at Mesa Verde. Otherwise you can only see them from the overlooks. I would definitely recommend a tour as it's impossible to get a feel for the dwellings without actually being in them. We had a short walk down to Cliff Palace and there were a few ladders to climb, but overall the tour was not strenuous and my out of shape 50+ year old self didn't have any difficulty. I would recommend a morning tour to beat the heat. We also toured Balcony House, and if I had to choose just one, I'm not sure which one I would pick. Be sure to book early on the National Parks website and don't miss an up close tour of a dwelling when you visit Mesa Verde.

I visited Cliff Palace on July 5, 2026. I was lucky that I was able to get tickets two days before…read morebecause I found a cancellation on the recreation.gov website. So if you are like me and did not know that you had to book them a couple of weeks ahead of time, then constantly check the website as there might be cancellations for some of the tours. I managed to also get tickets to the Long House tour. My tour of cliffs Palace was at 10:30 AM, and my tour of longhouse was at 1:45 PM. This was enough time to allow us to see the different overlooks near Cliff Palace and then drive over to the Weatherill Mesa. However, our stops were not long since the drive between Cliff Palace and Weatherill Mesa is long. Parking was very easy and there were also restrooms available, we met the Ranger at a shaded sitting area right at the entrance of the trail that takes you to the Cliff Palace overlook. The Ranger did mention that although she was sitting there and most people were gathering there, that the official meeting point is actually the overlook. So we headed over to the overlook a few minutes before the start of the tour to make sure that everybody else had found our group. The tour was informative and we also were able to watch another Ranger who played the flute at Cliff palace while we were standing at the overlook. It was a magical experience. The tour goes down some stairs, where there are some metal railings that can be a bit hot. The steps are carved onto the rock or made of rocks, so they are somewhat don't even and also high. Then we walked through a short trail and then up a ladder. All in all it was not as difficult as the signs made it to be, although you still need to be fully able to do all of those things in order to get in and out of the site. Also make sure that you have a backpack, hat and plenty of water as you need to have both hands-free and available for holding on to the ladders or rocks in order for you to be safe. The side itself was awe inspiring. And such a great way to learn about the ancient Pueblo inhabitants. After visiting Cliff Palace, we had to go through a different trail that went up more stairs that were carved into the rock, which can be narrow due to the Rocks around them, and although I am somewhat claustrophobic, I feel perfectly fine. Also, the Ranger told us to take our time and climb out safely. All in all it was a great tour and I highly recommend it.

If you're in Cortez, definitely go and visit and taste their chocolates with a fun magic history…read moreshow. Thank you so much for accommodating & making this happen for me at such short notice. To experience this intimate fun magic and delicious chocolate & truffle generous tasting. Bryan and Joanne are so creative & talented with all they have personally done inside, with the memorabilia they have collected and incorporated into their act. It's great for all ages. Make reservations, you won't regret it. No pictures of the magic show, that would be telling

Dotty Wampus is definitely worth the visit! I am visiting from Minnesota and my cousin took me as a…read moretreat. It was a GREAT way to spend the afternoon. When I come back to Colorado I will make another visit. The attentiveness of the hosts Bryan and Joanne immediately made you feel welcome. They had water, sparkling water, the kettle was going for tea and the ambiance embraced you with warmth. Bryan's showmanship and personality brought life to the show. I appreciated Joanne's thoughtfulness. She made sure that those of us who needed a chair had one. Thank you!! And of course there are the MAGNIFICENT chocolates! They melt in your mouth and you can taste the flavors as they explode in their grandeur! It was magical.