park point

Short, paved path to two overlooks - great views and easily accessible. It makes for a great place to catch the sunrise.

Highest spot in the park with the potential of an 80 mile view. Great views and quiet paths with the right amount of explained history. It's also October; things really slow down. Perfect time of year.

We almost missed Park Point, but our last day in the park I happened to read something about it..we are so glad we found it on our way out of Mesa Verde! Easily marked and good parking, a slight incline of a walk up the rest of the way to the summit...to find 360 degree views of endless vistas! Stunning! Don't forget your camera!

This is the highest point in the park - 8572 ft. It is well worth the climb up from the parking lot to the ranger station for a 360 degree view where you can see signage pointing out the surrounding mountains. You can also see evidence of past forest fire devastation on the hillsides. It can be very windy. We were there on a sunny but extremely windy day in April, and were happy that we brought the winter woolies. The ranger station is very interesting and easily seen through big windows. Great photo opportunities.

This is the highest point in Mesa Verde National Park. You get views of all the surrounding mountains and signs that explain the name and location of each of the peaks.

And to the Sleeping Ute Mountain which takes a bit of imagination. You have to walk up to the Point (which is the highest in Mesa Verde) from the parking lot. I can't remember there being any steps so it's wheelchair accessible. You can see the mountains of the Rockies which had some snow on them. Quite a sight.

Stopped on the way up to Far View for breakfast and was treated to a clear 360 degree view of the area. A nice side jaunt on your way to one of the many tours.

Worth a pull off of the road to see the long (long!) views. Paved path up to several observation points.

Short, easy walk on a paved surface with panorama of everything, and a fire lookout station as an extra.

On a clear day you can easily see all states in the Four Corners. My favorite features are Sleeping Ute Mountain and Shiprock, visible nearly every day. Elevation is the highest point in the park, over 8,500'! Enjoy!

Make sure you do this on a nice, clear day and you will be rewarded with spectacular views of four states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. This short, easy trail (round-trip of 0.2 miles or 0.3 km) takes you to the highest point in Mesa Verde National Park at 8,572 feet (2,613m). This trail is a MUST-DO on a clear day! Be sure to look for the spur road off the main road, between the Morefield Campground turn-off and the Far View area. The spur road leads to the trailhead with restrooms and picnic area. Your park map will be helpful in finding this trailhead. For information on all the trails in Mesa Verde, be sure to request the flyer on "Hiking" at the Visitor's Center. It has a description of each hike with distances, elevation gain/loss profile and suggested amount of time to allow for each hike.

If you don't know it's there you would drive right by this viewpoint. You have to drive by it to get to the cliff dwellings - it is about half way into the Park. It only take a few minutes, but the views are spectacular.

We are very glad we made the short drive up and then walked around up top. Incredible views all the way to Ship Rock and beyond.

Great place to view the whole park especially on a clear day. The highest point in the park. Interesting information about wildfires also.

The fantastic 360 degree views were well worth the walk to the top (due to the altitude, take it slow and easy). If you are going during warm weather, I would advise to go early in the morning as the haze will set in and it will be hard to fully enjoy the view. I saw many landmarks, the valleys, and beautiful snow capped mountains. There were some nice wildflowers at the top, too. I was able to get cell service here.