AARP’s Guide to Mesa Verde National Park

​For a more leisurely stroll (just a 1-mile loop), the mesa’s wheelchair- and bike-friendly loop trail passes through an eerie-looking burned forest that leads to the Nordenskiöld Site No. 16 trailhead. To view the two-level, 50-room village, excavated by a Swedish geologist in 1891, walk the flat, half-mile gravel path to an overlook.

​Near the parking lot is MVNP’s only cliff dwelling that doesn’t require a tour ticket, the easy-to-walk-around Step House, carved inside a 300-foot alcove. When excavated, the dwelling housed stunning handcrafted baskets in its six pit houses (insulated semisubterranean homes), evidence that Ancestral Puebloans occupied it six centuries before the park’s most famous dwellings were constructed, circa the 13th century. Access it via a moderate, half-mile offshoot (1-mile round trip) at the beginning of the loop trail.

​Drive the Mesa Top Loop. This 6-mile, 11-stop scenic road, which runs parallel to the Cliff Palace Loop in Chapin Mesa, traces the Ancestral Puebloans’ seven-century footprint in and around the park with rousing overlooks and stops at various archaeological sites. At the loop’s end, you’ll see Sun Temple (1275 A.D.), a large D-shaped complex that experts believe served as an observatory for astronomical events, such as the winter solstice, that guided the Puebloans’ planting and harvesting activities.

​Go hiking. MVNP has a few noteworthy short hiking trails, though the rough, challenging terrain means they aren’t suitable for the mobility-impaired. In Chapin Mesa, the half-mile Farming Terrace Trail near Cedar Tree Tower provides a window into the Ancestral Puebloans’ unique agricultural system, with its check dams and terraces. From the Spruce Tree House Overlook in Chapin Mesa, the steep Petroglyph Point Trail (2.4 miles) loops through a fragrant pinyon-juniper forest, where hikers slip between mammoth boulders en route to a 35-foot-wide rock-art panel with more than 30 figures (human and animal), spirals and handprints.

​Closer to the park’s entrance, three trailheads, ranging from easy to difficult, start at the Morefield Campground: Knife Edge (2 miles), an ideal trek for savoring Colorado’s pastel sunsets; Point Lookout (2.2 miles), replete with views of the snowcapped San Juan and La Plata ranges; and Prater Ridge (7.8 miles), a challenging, two-loop combo that splits Prater and Morefield canyons above Montezuma Valley, where an estimated 35,000 people lived in the 1200s.

Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

John Elk III/Getty Images

​Gateway Towns

The Old West town of Durango, 36 miles east of MVNP on U.S. Highway 160, lures the bulk of parkgoers with its charming shops and art galleries, eclectic restaurants and microbreweries, outdoor recreation options, and rich railroad history. Indeed, a train ride aboard the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a must. From downtown Durango, the 1880s steam engine winds through the spellbinding San Juan Mountains, skirting the edge of cliffs and crossing lofty bridges over the clear and ever-flowing Animas River, chugging its way to the historic mining town of Silverton. It’s a thrilling nine-hour, round-trip adventure (May-October), with two hours spent exploring Silverton. Even the vision-impaired enjoy the ride, hearing the steam whistle as the vintage locomotive pulls the train up steep grades. For alpine aromas and the best views, book a gondola seat.

​Splurge on a stay at the 15-room Rochester Hotel (with multiple wheelchair-accessible rooms). Built in 1892, the former boarding house-turned-boutique hotel recently reopened downtown following a modern makeover. Just two blocks away, the 88-room Strater Hotel is moderately priced and feels like you’re sleeping in a museum, with period wallpaper and American Victorian walnut antiques awash in a building dating to 1887.

​Start your morning with a breakfast burrito at Durango Coffee Company on downtown’s Main Street. Around the corner, for lunch, munch on mouthwatering al pastor tacos or a chicken torta at the Cuevas Tacos food truck. Come dinnertime, sink your teeth into a juicy grass-fed burger topped with Belford cheese at the James Ranch Grill, 10 miles north of downtown on U.S. Highway 550. Cream Bean Berry’s delicate artisan ice cream on Main Street will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. Across the street, sip a cold one at Carver Brewing Company, one of Colorado’s first brewpubs.

​Blink twice and you might miss the closest town to MVNP — Mancos, a sleepy dot on the map 8 miles east of the park on U.S. 160. Accommodations are sparse here, but the moderately priced Western-themed lodge rooms at the Starry Nights Ranch Bed & Breakfast make for a homey overnight. Before heading into the park, fuel up for the day at the Absolute Bakery & Café on the Mesa Verde Stack, an egg-and-hash browns combo slathered with homemade green chile. At lunchtime, Chef Ben’s Cubano Sandwich is a must-try.

​Ten miles west of the park on U.S. 160 is Cortez, a terrific launch point for driving the 116-mile Trail of the Ancients Scenic and Historic Byway, with its multiple national landmarks. The town’s lodging options are mostly hotels — the Holiday Inn Express Mesa Verde-Cortez has a pool and wheelchair-accessible rooms. For home-cooked comfort foods, order the country fried chicken or elk shepherd’s pie at the Loungin’ Lizard cantina.