Archaeological sights in Southwestern Colorado
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A
Step House
Step House was initially occupied by Modified Basketmaker peoples residing in pithouses, and later became the site of a Classic Pueblo-period masonry complex with rooms and kivas. The 0.75-mile trail to Step House involves a 100ft descent and ascent.
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B
Long House
On the Wetherill Mesa side of the canyon is Long House. It's a strenuous place to visit and can only be done as part of a ranger-led guided tour (organized from the visitor center). Access involves climbing three ladders – two at 15ft and one at 4ft – and a 0.75-mile hike, and there's an aggregate 130ft elevation to descend and ascend.
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C
SSpruce Tree House
The most accessible of the archaeological sites, although the paved half-mile round-trip access path is still a moderately steep climb. Spruce Tree House was once home to 60 or 80 people and its construction began around AD 1210. Like other sites, old walls and houses have been stabilized.
Rangers are on hand to answer questions and offer free guided tours from November to April at 10am, 1pm and 3:30pm.
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D
Cliff Palace
The only way to see the superb Cliff Palace is to take an hour-long ranger-led tour that retraces the steps taken by the Ancestral Puebloans. This grand representative of engineering achievement, with 217 rooms and 23 kivas, provided shelter for 250 or 300 people.
Its inhabitants were without running water. However, springs across the canyon, below Sun Temple, were most likely their primary water sources. The use of small 'chinking' stones between the large blocks is strikingly similar to Ancestral Puebloan construction at distant Chaco Canyon.
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E
Balcony House
Tickets are required for the one-hour guided tours of Balcony House, on the east side of the Cliff Palace Loop. The tour could prove a challenge for those with a fear of heights or small places. But it includes outstanding views of Soda Canyon, 600ft below the sandstone overhang that once served as the ceiling for 35 to 40 rooms.
Visitors must descend a 100ft-long staircase into the canyon, then climb a 32ft-tall ladder, crawl through a 12ft-long tunnel and climb an additional 60ft of ladders and stone steps to get out. It's not recommended for people with medical problems. The most physical tour in the park, it's also the most rewarding, not to mention fun!
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