Hike the Parks: Mesa Verde National Park & Beyond

- Includes suggested itineraries for trips spanning one to three days
- Features 30 field-tested trails
- Many hikes include archaelogical sites
Southwestern Colorado boasts spectacular hikes as well as archaeological sites that offer insight into the region's Ancestral Puebloan, Navajo, Apache, and Ute peoples. This compact guidebook covers the 30 best hikes in Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument, as well as in the nearby Colorado Plateau towns of Cortez, Delores, and Mancos. The centerpiece of this region, Mesa Verde, was one of the very first US national parks and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, renowned for its hundreds of iconic cliff dwellings and five thousand archaeological sites. A handful of trails among the area's forests and rivers, in places such as Mancos State Park and McPhee Reservoir, contrast with the spectacular mesas, rock formations, and washes of canyon country.

Hiking, mountain biking, and stand-up paddling are just some of the activities Courtney Johnson enjoys doing with her husband, AJ, and little nipper, Emma. She lives in Erie, Colorado where she is a freelance writer, photographer, and substitute teacher.