Full-Day Mesa Verde Discovery Tour

Overview

It’s no question that locals and past visitors consider Mesa Verde National Park a must-visit. It allows us a rare opportunity to experience preserved North American history before European contact. Joining a Mild to Wild guide ensures guests will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of authentic Southwestern culture.

Our Full Day Discovery Tour will show off this outdoor museum with plenty of insight into the ancient indigenous culture, the history of the Park, and more. It’s the best way to get the most out of a day at Mesa Verde.

Our tour vehicles are comfortable, air conditioned, and come with speakers to help you hear your guide's interp throughout the drive.

*Please note that Cliff Palace tickets sell out quickly, we recommend booking at least two weeks in advance to ensure we have tickets.

City: Durango

Fri 30 Jan

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $206.01

Make a reservation

Fri 30 Jan

Starting at $206.01

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Highly Knowledgeable Guide

Bottled water

National Park fees

Lunch

Air-conditioned vehicle

- Skip the long lines

Additional Info

Suitable for all physical fitness levels
You must bring your own car seats for children who require them. CO Car Seat Law states that children up to 8 years old must be in an appropriate car seat.
Sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, and water are recommended.
Dress in layers. Summer is cool in the morning and hot by the afternoon. Bring a warm coat, hat, and gloves for fall, winter, and spring.
Part of the tour may include climbing 10 ft. ladders made of Tree Trunks. Not all travelers are required to participate in this part but this is required in order to exit Cliff Palace

What To Expect

Mesa Verde National Park

Meet at our Durango Office to shuttle over to Mesa Verde with your guide! The drive is incredibly scenic and takes about 45 minutes while driving past the La Plata Mountains. Once there, you'll visit the top sites along the mesa before your expedition into Cliff Palace. This portion of the tour lasts about 45 minutes, and includes climbing a narrow staircase and series of ladders to reach the dwellings. The rangers will provide some interpretation, while giving you time to wander beneath the largest cliff dwelling in North America. Afterwards we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch at one of the sites or overlooks, before continuing to more ancient villages and sacred kivas to explore. Expect a lot of information along the way! Our guides offer far more insight and knowledge about the sites than visitors going on their own, as posted information and placards are limited throughout the Park. After a stop at a spectacular lookout of the Four Corners Region, we'll shuttle back to Durango!

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (180)

robinX1519CP

Jul 2019

I'm giving this 3 stars because we had a great guide. BUT the whole reason I went on this tour was to visit the Cliff Palace dwelling that was advertised when I booked this tour. Once we were in the park, the guide advised that she had tickets for the group for Balcony House dwelling. That is a very challenging dwelling to visit and I was not able to visit the dwelling. I paid the same price as everyone else and did not get to visit a dwelling. I was extremely disappointed and was sorry I even bothered with this tour. It was far too expensive to just ride around in a van all day and look at everything from a distance. The description should have stated that the tour would visit a dwelling of their choice.

Patrick B

Jul 2019

The staff was very knowledgeable. It was worth it for the information passed on to our Family. Only issue was the bus was hot and they did not keep the AC running? It was really weird. They said it was an environmental thing. It was hot and annoying. This was the Aramark tour bus.

eugenez612

Jul 2019

This review is about the company, Mesa Verde Discovery Tour, and not the tour itself, since we never got on it. I booked the tour through Trip Advisor since it was about $50 cheaper for the family of four. And, looking back, I’m so happy that I didn’t book it through the company directly. During the booking process something happened and I ended up having two bookings for the same trip. I was notified about this issue by the person from Mild to Wild Rafting and Jeep Tours. Following our conversation and verbally confirming both reservation numbers I was reassured that notation will be made on file for the latter reservation. However they advised me to cancel the second booking with Trip Advisor directly since its not something they could do on their end. I also called them second time to confirm the pick up place and was told that they could pick us up at Mesa Verde RV resort/park as we were driving from Telluride. Guess what? Its 9:10 am and they are nowhere to be seen. I called the company, and they informed me that my reservation was cancelled. Imagine, I had to wake up my two 9 yo twins at 6 am to make it on time. Instead of having a leisurely breakfast with a mountain view I ended up at dusty RV parking lot with two cranky kids, spending an hour on the phone with the company. Lady at the Mild to Wild Rafting and Jeep Tours informed me that they got two cancellations from Trip Advisor, which wasn’t true as i could still see both reservations, one cancelled and one active, on my account. I also called customer service at Trip Advisor, and the company told the TA agent that they never got the second reservation (another lie) as I verbally confirmed with them we got both. Long story short, they offered us to either go next day (didn’t work for us, we were going to Great Sand Dunes the following day), or go same day missing two hours of the tour, no lunch provided, and no Cliff Palace. I have to admit, all people I spoke with were nice and trying to be helpful and accommodating. But the whole experience was a mess, ruined our day, and corrupted our carefully planned 7 days schedule. Based on my experience, if you travel from afar and plan to spend only one day at Mesa Verde, buy your tickets directly at Visitors Center the night before or first thing in the morning when they open, and explore on your own. If you can read and drive, you will be fine. Rangers at Visitors Center are super nice and knowledgeable. Last thing, apparently there are 2 separate places, one Mesa Verde RV resort and another one Mesa Verde RV park. Still not sure where we were supposed to be since during the phone call they made us move from the RV resort to the RV park. I probably wouldn’t suggest to use that pick up place. Otherwise, you may end up not going on a trip at all.