After the fifteen mile drive to the tour office, we decide to buy tour tickets to both Balcony House and Cliff Palace House. The ranger-lead tour through the first is quite amazing as we must climb down ladders, through tunnels (very, very narrow tunnels), and then back up the hand and toe holds carved by the original builders. It’s almost hard to believe that this people lived here in these precarious dwellings between 1200 & 1300 b.c.e. The masonry work is top notch.
Continuing on to our second tour, Cliff Palace, we find the largest cliff dwelling every built. With some 150 separate rooms, this truly is a palace. It is believed to have served as some type of social center for the entire region. With its round spires, perfectly square towers, and submerged “keves”, it’s quite obvious this was a structure of some importance. Quite a spectacle to behold.
Next, we tackle Spruce Tree House, which is a self-guided tour below the museum. Much like the other two, the ancient architecture is quite skilled. On the way back up, we discover a 2.4 mile trail along the mesa wall to some petroglyphs from the same era. We decide to the detour is worth it and head out.
The trail itself is actually rather treacherous with some minor boulder scrambling and several sets of very steep stone-carved steps. Upon reaching the Petroglyphs, we nearly walk right past them, as the signage is somewhat hidden and the drawings appear on a wall 8-10 feet above the trail. Still the rock art is quite beautiful, making the hike well worth the time.
Nick and I both feel a little drained and decide to view the remaining visible sites on the drive out of the park. We do find a few more cave dwellings on the way out, but none as impressive as those we toured through. Overall, this was an amazing day of hiking and site-seeing.
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