One Of The US' Most Underrated National Parks Is This Archaeological Wonder In Colorado

While Machu Picchu might be the obvious destination to see ancient ruins, American explorers can visit an attraction much closer to home. In Colorado's southwestern corner is one of the nation's most impressive archaeological spots — Mesa Verde National Park. President Theodore Roosevelt established the park in 1906; never before had a national park been made "specifically for the preservation from injury or spoliation of the ruins and other works and relics of prehistoric or primitive man," per the United States Code.

The park is home to nearly 5,000 individual archaeological sites created by Ancestral Puebloans who lived on this land from around A.D. 550 to 1300. The most striking of the sites is the remarkably well-preserved cliff dwellings, and there are overlooks where you can check out these impressive structures from above. However, if you want to walk through some of them, you have to sign up for a guided tour, which will take some planning.

The ranger-led tours generally run between mid-May and late October, and reservations open two weeks in advance. Whatever you do, avoid waiting until you get to the park to try and book — tours can fill up quickly (we're talking in less than a minute). Plus, you probably won't have reliable cell service, and the only way to reserve a spot is online or by phone. Make sure you're in shape and have water with you; the elevation is around 7,000 feet – high enough to potentially feel some ill effects.

There are a few different cliff dwellings that you can tour at Mesa Verde National Park. Each offers the opportunity to learn more about the Ancestral Puebloan people and imagine what it would have been like to have lived there. Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in the park (unsurprising, as it is the largest in North America), with dozens of rooms used for everything from food storage to rituals and ceremonies. Tours are capped at 50 people and require a quarter mile of walking, though they do involve climbing multiple ladders.

For something smaller — 10 people max — sign up for the Square Tower House tour, which takes you into the park's backcountry. Square Tower House is a more strenuous experience than Cliff Palace, requiring you to navigate stone steps, rock ledges, and ladders. However, you'll be rewarded for your efforts by getting an up close and personal view of this ancient dwelling, complete with petroglyphs.

Then there's the Balcony House, which has 40 rooms. It's the most intense option — if you're scared of heights or claustrophobic, this may not be for you. On this tour (limited to 35 people), you climb a number of multi-story ladders and stone staircases on exposed cliff faces and crawl through a 12-foot-long tunnel that's just 18 inches wide. It's a very Indiana Jones-style adventure that will give you a unique perspective on this special place.

While the cliff dwellings may be the main attraction at Mesa Verde, there are plenty of other things to do. There is also a Junior Ranger program, camping, and over two dozen miles of hiking trails. Mesa Verde is also a designated International Dark Sky Park, so you'll likely see more stars than just about anywhere else in the country.

With all there is to do and see here, Mesa Verde National Park attracts around 500,000 visitors per year. This may sound like a lot, but compare it to the more well-known outdoor adventure gem Rocky Mountain National Park, which gets upwards of 4 million. However, it does take a bit of work to get to Mesa Verde; the closest major airport is in Durango, about an hour's drive away.

You'll generally need a car to get around Mesa Verde and Southwest Colorado, but that makes for fantastic road trips. If you're looking for kids travel games to pass the time, the National Parks Service website has activities related to Mesa Verde and its history to print out so your little ones have something to do in the car — who says learning isn't fun? Other places to check out in the area include Ouray (the mountain town known as America's Switzerland), while those wanting to keep with the archaeological theme should visit the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.