Take time to slow down or even stop to enjoy the views rather than rushing Plan for the drive into and out of the park to take no less than two hours. The road into the national park is a mountain road that will carry you from 6,900 feet in elevation up to 8,570 feet on a narrow, steep route. You can explore the park on bike or on foot, as well as by car. We recommend making your way into the park from the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center located near the park entrance on U.S. Tip: Bring plenty of drinking water, food, insect repellant, sunscreen, a hat, and sturdy hiking shoes. In order to protect the fragile resources, self-guided tours are not permitted. The full day tour (which is highly recommended) visits four magnificent cliff dwellings and requires a three-mile walk on unpaved trails and scaling ladders. The tours include Ute history and rock art, surface sites and cliff dwellings. The Ute Mountain Utes are the Weeminuche band of Utes, one of the seven original Ute bands that inhabited Colorado. Tours are guided by Ute Indians with a broad knowledge of Ute and Ancestral Puebloan cultures. Located within the Tribal Park primitive campgrounds, cabins are available for rent. Firewood and drinking/utility water are available at the campground. Primitive camping is available for a fee within Mancos Canyon. Transportation from Cortez, CO is available by request for an additional fee. Round-trip transportation is available from the Tribal Park Visitor Center into the park. TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED BY THE TRIBAL PARK.Round-trip transportation from Cortez, CO is available by request for an additional fee. (Round trip from Tribal Park Visitor Center into the park) SPECIAL TOURS TO REMOTE SECTIONS OF THE PARK.Requiring a little more time and effort, the full day tours involve a 3-mile hike on unpaved trails to visit four preserved cliff dwellings within Lion Canyon.

Just a short distance to the gravel road at all times, this is a great tour for those who prefer an easier, shorter tour. Visit Ancestral Puebloan petroglyphs, scenic lands, Ute pictograph panels, geological formations, and surface sites. Check-in time is 8:30 AM with departures at 9:00 AM.Reservations must be made in advance by calling (970) 565-9653. Tours begin at the Tribal Park Visitor Center and Museum, 20 miles south of Cortez, CO. Spend time in the park as our guides interpret the history, pictographs, geological formations, petroglyphs, artifacts, and dwellings. Journey back in time to explore Ute Mountain Tribal Park through the unique lens of Native American tour guides.

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