Mesa Verde by Scott

By Scott

Mesa Verde

          Over the weekend I went to Mesa Verde.  I went with my grandma and grandpa.  This is a National Park that I have never visited before. 

          First I went to Balcony House.  There we climbed a big ladder that led to this cliff dwelling.  There was a small tunnel like hole to get out of the Balcony House which made me feel claustrophobic.  In my opinion, I think this tunnel was there for defensive purposes to keep unwanted people from entering quickly.  There was still a balcony which was on wood beams.  The Balcony House was interesting. 

          Then we went to Cliff Palace which is a bigger cliff dwelling than Balcony House.  You need to walk 120 steps down to get to Cliff Palace.  The tallest tower was four stories high.  Small squares in the walls of the towers were used to hold wooden beams.  The circular structures were called kivas.  These are underground rooms where the Pueblos could live.  It is the largest cliff dwelling in North America.  I was amazed at how large this cliff dwelling was. 

          After that we went to Spruce House cliff dwelling.  This is about the same size as Balcony House and is not built on as steep of a cliff.  This was a self-guided tour and you do not need to have tickets from the visitor center to go.  We went later in the day so it was very hot.  The cliff dwellings were built with wood, mortar, and stone.  The Spruce House was the last cliff dwelling we went to and a good way to end our trip.