Loading trail…
Square Tower House
Free — you'll pick up right here.
Watch this trail
Sign up to watch it — saving subscribes you to gate, closure and report changes.
Colorado
We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.
What we do know
Inside Mesa Verde National Park
National Park unit boundary is mapped — agency alerts for it feed this page automatically.
Boundary data
What's missing
No access route mapped
We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.
Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.
Square Tower House
AI-suggested draft · review before you go
No elevation data on file for this trail.
Here, you see one of their most spectacular architectural achievements, built six centuries later. This cliff dwelling includes the tallest standing architecture in Mesa Verde, a four-story, 27-foot (8 m) tall structure that was part of an even larger building complex. Although the site has been stabilized by archeologists, 90% is original. Painted murals and pecked rock art are found throughout Square Tower House. From the overlook, look for original roof beams and intact plastered walls. What do such elaborate decorations tell us about Ancestral Pueblo society? Perhaps it suggests that the builders were not only concerned with meeting their basic needs, but also recognized the importance of art and beauty as essential components of a thriving community.
Cliff Canyon Overlook
~2 min drive
<em>Cliff Canyon Overlook and Cliff Palace Loop Road are open 8 am to sunset from late spring to December 1, or until the first significant snowfall.</em><br /> <br /> The Cliff Canyon Overlook opens up to a stunning view of Cliff Canyon. In the 1200s, Cliff Canyon was a thriv…
Spruce Canyon Trail
~2 min drive
<p>The Spruce Canyon Trail offers an opportunity to explore the canyon bottoms of Mesa Verde and discover the plants and wildlife that live in this habitat. Parts of this canyon trail offers the shade of Douglas Fir trees and the coolness and humidity of a natural wetland area…
Soda Canyon Overlook Trail
~2 min drive
<p><em>Soda Canyon Overlook Trail and Cliff Palace Loop Road are open 8 am to sunset from late spring to December 1, or until the first significant snowfall.</em><br /> <br /> This easy, out-and-back trail meanders through the mesa top pinyon-juniper forest to three overlooks…
House of Many Windows Overlook
~2 min drive
<em>House of Many Windows Overlook and Cliff Palace Loop Road are open 8 am to s</em><em>unset from late spring to December 1, or until the first significant snowfall.</em><br /> <br /> House of Many Windows is a small cliff dwelling perched on a ten-foot-wide ledge in Cliff C…
Balcony House Parking Area
~3 min drive
<em>The Balcony House Parking Area and Cliff Palace Loop Road are open 8 am to sunset from late spring to December 1, or until the first significant snowfall.</em><br /> <br /> Soda Canyon is visible from the Balcony House Parking Area, but surprisingly, Balcony House is not.…
Hemenway House Overlook
~3 min drive
<em>Hemenway House Overlook and Cliff Palace Loop Road are open 8 am</em> <em>to s</em><em>unset from late spring to December 1, or until the first significant snowfall.</em><br /> <br /> Perched on a remote cliff in Soda Canyon, Hemenway House looks to fall off the small ledg…
Farming Terrace Trail
~4 min drive
<p>This short, moderate trail winds along a series of farming terraces built by the Ancestral Pueblo people. Constructing check dams in a natural drainage to create farming terraces was a useful dryland farming technique. Soil and moisture collected behind the check dams durin…
Prater Ridge Trail
~17 min drive
<p>The trail traverses Prater Ridge which divides Prater and Morefield Canyons. The South Loop offers views into Prater Canyon, named for an early pioneer family. The North Loop ascends for views into Montezuma Valley and the beautiful San Juan Mountains.</p> <h4>Trail Descrip…
Knife Edge Trail
~17 min drive
<p>Named after the historic Knife Edge Road which was known for it's scenic value, this trail follows the old roadway and leads to a viewpoint that affords excellent views across Montezuma Valley.</p> <p>A traveler in 1892 once described a trail on this ridge as the Crinkly Ed…
Point Lookout Trail
~18 min drive
<p>The Point Lookout Trail climbs up the iconic Point Lookout, the geological formation that towers above the park entrance. The trail offers views of the San Juan and La Plata Mountains, as well as Mancos and Montezuma Valleys.</p> <h4>Trail Description</h4> <p>The 2.2-mile (…
