Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park is in Montezuma County, Colorado, close to Mancos Town within the county. The park was established in 1906 as the first National Park set aside to "preserve the works of man." The park was later designated as a Wilderness 1976 and again as a World Heritage Site in 1978. 

If you want to get to the park, you can drive about 21 miles midway between Mancos and Cortez where you will find the parks headquarters and the Chapin Mesa archeological sites enclosed in about 52,000 acres of land.

Some of the special features within the park include a close-up look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people, that lived in the area for over 700 years, between AD 600 and 1300. Specifically, you will find about 5,000 archeological sites that the park protects and have together come to be known as the Mesa Verde which means ‘green table’ in Spanish. 

Besides the antiquities protected within the Mesa Verde National Park, you can also get to enjoy lots of recreational activities including stargazing, hiking, camping, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, guided and self-guided walks to ruins.

Like other National Parks, you are allowed to bring your dog although you will have to observe strict park rules. Some of the rules that you need to be aware of regarding you and your dog include, ensuring that you carry a dog leash that is six feet in length and ensuring that your dog is always on the leash or in a secured enclosure at all times. 

Additionally, you must clean up after your dog and ensure that you respect the park's resources including plants and wildlife. You must also be aware of areas of the park that you can walk your dog and areas that you cannot do so. 

Basically, at the Mesa Verde National Park, pets and dogs are not allowed in archeological sites, on trails, or in buildings. You can, however, take your dog along paved roads, on some trails on the Wetherill Mesa like the 5-mile Long House Loop when it is open in the spring, summer, and fall.