Things To Do

With respect, imagination, and understanding this large mound of rubble covered with vegetation offers insight to an ancient vibrant community.

NPS

2024 Tours of Yucca House National Monument

Join Mesa Verde National Park rangers on a tour of Yucca House National Monument. This large, unexcavated Ancestral Puebloan site has remained largely untouched for the past 800 years. Its massive structures and central location in the Montezuma Valley suggest it may have acted as an important community center for the Ancestral Puebloan people from 1150 to 1300 CE.

Why Is it Important?

On July 2, 1919, Henry Van Kleeck deeded 9.6 acres of land, including most of Yucca House, to the federal government. Due to its significance as an excellent example of a valley pueblo, Woodrow Wilson made Yucca House a National Monument by Presidential Proclamation on December 19, 1919. Today it is 194 acres on the Colorado Plateau preserving ancestral villages, springs, and natural desert habitats.

What to Expect
The easy to moderate 2-hour, 1/2 mile (0.8 km) walk is along a mostly level, unpaved path. The trail is rocky in places; wear sturdy hiking shoes or boots. Total tour time, including carpooling to site, is 3 hours. Yucca House National Monument is located eight miles south of Cortez, Colorado. You will meet at the Colorado Welcome Center in Cortez for a brief orientation talk, then carpool to the site.

Two tours will be offered: Sunday October 6 at 9am and Sunday October 20 at 9am.

A reservation for this free tour is required – call 970-529-5037 to register.