The park is home to the cliff homes of the Pueblo people who were here in the area at 550AD, long before he Europeans come to America. The Pueblo people were hunters, and farmers. The farmers had to hone their craft to fit into the desert environment of the area but were able to do so. One of the things the farmers did was create a series of dams to collect not only water but top soil that was washed away with the rain or snow melt. The hunters found deer, bison, rabbits, squirrels and other animals. The homes under the cliffs were built with sandstone and these sandstone blocks were about the size of a loaf of bread. The blocks were held together with dirt and water mixture that held up surprisingly well over the years. The Pueblo were also good at making homes but also using everything around them to help them survive. The skins of animals were used, and also all of Mother Nature’s weather they utilized to the fullest. The walls of the cliffs were about 60 degrees year round providing warmth in the 20 degree winter and cool in the 90 degree summer. The farmers of the group grew corn, beans and squash. The corn provided the height for the beans to grow up while the squash covered the ground providing the ground shade to thwart the desert heat and sun. The Pueblo’s also had domesticated dogs and turkeys with evidence found that the dogs and turkeys were kept in pens or fenced areas of the village. There are many exposed sites you can explore within the park by yourself or on a Ranger led tour. The sites are not that easily accessible, it was a way to protect from outsiders, so be ready to do some hiking to/from the sites with some steep climbs.
Wetherill Mesa – The road to the Wetherill Mesa is off of the main road and at Far View you turn right. The road has many hairpin turns and lots of up and down that makes the going slow for most people. There is also a restriction on vehicles where nobody over 25 feet long can go on the road, thankfully Dundee is just at 25 feet. The Sunday I was at the stop there was plenty of parking spaces that were open. The drive from the entrance of the park here is about 1 hour due to the speed you can travel safely. There is also a bathroom at the parking area. The Ranger area is under cover and the rangers were very nice to me. They provided me with a map of the area trails and suggested that I go tot he Step House first since it closes at 3:30pm. Great suggestion and another was the Nordenskiold site which was a second great suggestion of the day. While hiking today, a woman said she was so thankful to have her Alltrails app working as without it she would be lost. Funny thing is that she was lost anyway! I am not a fan of the app but have a friend who swears by the app, to each his/her own. Factiod: If you drive out of the Mesa parking lot and look to your right you can see a village in the cliffs but don’t stop in the road there is a pull off. You can still see the village from the pullout. There are many other villages in the cliffs around the area so keep your eyes peeled.
Step House – The trailhead is just to the left of the Kiosk at the parking area. The trail is a one mile loop and it has some elevation gain/loss but nothing significant. On the way down you will go down stairs and then up is all on your own. The dwelling is over 1,000 years old and it was built, then burned down and abandoned only to be resettled. You can see a few of the houses were the natives lived. They natives were farmers and they also collected water for crops and drinking. These people had a ton of knowledge that allowed the to build and live in this harsh area.
Long House Loop Trail – The trail is the main trail at the Wetherill Mesa and it is a paved trail. Some of the paving could be redone but the trail is a loop so you can go all the way around. Most people will not take the entire trail as well over 1.5 miles of it is just walking on the pavement. The trail has off shoots for the Kodak House Overlook Trail, Long House Overlook Trail, and the Nordenskiold Site #16 Overlook Trail.
Kodak House Overlook Trail – The trail is not paved but is stone and it is a short 0.15 miles from the Long House Loop Trail. At the overlook you can see the dwellings known as Kodak House. It got its name from the archeologist Nordenskiold who left a camera in a cache while doing the dig in the 1891.
Long House Overlook Trail – The trail is not paved and is stone and a short 0.15 miles from the Long House Loop Trail. This overlook allows you to see Long House, and many people on the long house tour, you need a ticket and I did not have one. Long House was discovered in 1890 by two brothers, Wetherill, who were from the area. These brothers did some digging but brought in the “expert” Nordenskiold.
Badger House Community Trail – The trail is stone and it weaves between a few different settlements at the top of the mesa. The trail is little more than a 1/2 mile and you get to see 4 different dig sites. These sites are covered to protect them for our viewing pleasure.
Nordenskiold Site #16 Overlook Trail – The trail is stone and even in some places rocks you have to go up or down. The trail is 1 mile round trip and it sure it worth it! The overlook allows you to look at a two story community in the cliff.
Morefield Campground – The campground is made up of 8 loops and an amphitheater. You can walk to the amphitheater or park in the parking area. The sites have little or no shade in them but with 15 restrooms with flush toilets you have to take the good with the bad. There are 395 camping spots. The campground also has a group camping area for 2 groups which is an additional loop, not included in the 395 spots. The sites are not reservable but you should have a reservation for camping in the park, as most parks. The sites are not reserved at recreation.gov but at vistesaverde.com due to Aramark being the group that manages most of the lodging/camping/stores within the park. There are showers, free of charge, for campers at the “village” but it is a drive to get to the village. The village also offers a grocery/camp store and a breakfast area. The breakfast is $9.00 for all you eat pancakes and sausage. The campground says it has wi-fi but I was not able to get onto the wi-fi and have internet access so I would say it does not really have wi-fi. The sites are fairly big and each has a fire ring and a picnic table.
