balcony house tour mesa verde

Balcony House Mesa Verde Tour – Your Visual Guide

• Colorado / Mesa Verde / Outdoors / USA

Taking a tour of the Balcony House was the highlight of our visit to Mesa Verde National Park.! Since we arrived at the visitor center late morning, most of the tours were already full that day, so we decided to get tickets for the next morning.

Before the tour, the ranger gave us a safety briefing. He mentioned that if anyone feels they can’t do it due to physical limitations or are afraid of heights, stay at the top.

Last Updated: June 15, 2020

Balcony House is considered a medium-size cliff dwelling with 40 rooms. Only 10 sites in the park have more than that. The 32-foot entrance ladder makes it the most adventurous cliff dwelling tour, and even though we’re scared of heights, it wasn’t too bad.

As we descended down the cliff, we stopped at a few points where he talked more about the Ancestral Puebloans and background of the cliff dwellings. Did you know that we still don’t have a definitive answer on why they lived this way? At a certain point in history they built these beautiful dwellings. Then one day, they just up and left.

My favorite feature was the exit. They built a tunnel into one of their entrances as a natural defense! After all, it’s easier to kill any intruders one-by-one.

ALSO READ: 7 Incredible Things to Do in Mesa Verde

Don’t Touch the Cliff Dwellings

See this lady with the neck brace? Yes, it sucks that she’s injured, but it’s still completely disrespectful to touch and lean on these ancient ruins. At one point, we saw her with her knee on it too. Part of me didn’t want to disrupt the ranger giving the talk (no one else in the group noticed her except us), and let’s be honest, part of me was too shy to say anything. Thinking back on it, though, I’m disappointed at myself that I didn’t tell her to get off. If you can’t hike, climb, and stand for an hour, you shouldn’t go on the tour.

All photos were shot with a 5D Mark III & 35mm prime lens .

It was truly amazing to stand in and see the Balcony House. We’ll have to make our way back to Mesa Verde National Park again to tour the other dwellings too!

PRO TIPS FOR THE BALCONY HOUSE + OTHER MESA VERDE TOURS

• Tours run from late April to mid-October.
• Tours fill up so be sure to book yours as early as possible. The cost of the Balcony House tour and other cliff dwelling tours are $7 per person for all ages. Your annual National Park pass does not cover the tours.
• Keep in mind it takes 45 minutes to an hour to get from the visitor center to the meeting point.
• You will be hiking down to the balcony and climbing ladders, so wear shoes with good traction.
• If you have a severe fear of heights, the tour might be difficult for you. If you’re mildly afraid of heights like us, you should be okay.
• Bathrooms are located at the parking lot before you head down.
• If you are bringing your camera, be sure to have a strap or backpack you can put it in when you’re going up the ladder.
• Please, please, please do not touch the ruins. We should work to preserve it for future generations too.
• They offer multiple cliff dwelling tours. This was the only one available on our first visit, and the Cliff Palace was the only one available on our second visit.

What ruins have you visited? Would you have confronted the lady?

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Mesa Verde National Park Tours

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 to preserve and interpret the archeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home from 600 to 1300 CE. Today, the park protects nearly 5,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.

Need to Know

Daily tours of Cliff Palace and Balcony House are scheduled to start May 6 and Square Tower House May 24. NOTE: In 2024, all Ranger-Led tours will require reservations through the Recreation.gov website or toll free number 1-877-444-6777. For more information on the variety of tours offered next season, please visit the Mesa Verde National Park Cliff Dwelling Tours page .

• During the ticket season which typically runs from May to October, tickets will go on sale 14 days in advance at 8:00 a.m MST, on a rolling daily window. For example, tickets would go on sale April 22 for tours on May 6. 
• PLAN AHEAD! All 2024 tours will require reservations. Tours are limited and sell out daily, especially on holiday and weekend dates. Cliff Palace is limited to 50, Balcony House to 35, and Square Tower House to 10 participants per tour.
• If booking more than one tour on the same day, please ensure you allow enough time to drive from one site to another and allow adequate time between tours. Please follow the suggested tour times listed on each tour page.

Important! Please either print your reservation confirmation email or save a screenshot on your mobile device before arriving at the park. You will present this to the ranger before your tour. No other ticket will be provided. Cell service is extremely limited in the park and rangers cannot access tour reservation lists.  

• All tours are appropriate for well-prepared hikers, but are strenuous, so please consider your physical health before choosing a tour/hike, espicially if you have heart or respiratory problems, or other physical difficulties.Elevations ranges between 7,000 and 7,500 feet (2134 , and 2286 m) above sea level.
• We suggest wearing sturdy shoes or boots and bring plenty of water.Your safety depends on your good judgement, adequate preperation, and constant attention.
• Children must be able to walk the extent of the trails and climb all ladders on their own without diffculty. All infants must be carried in backpacks while on tours and adults carrying children in backpacks must be able to maintain mobility and balance.
• All visitors to Mesa Verde National Park must present a pass (Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Pass, Interagency Military Pass, Interagency Access Pass, or an annual 4th Grade Pass) or pay an entrance fee upon arrival (or purchase a digital site pass in advance ).
• Please be prepared to present your hard copy pass or digital pass on your mobile device. Please also have your photo I.D. available to present to the ranger with your pass. Photo copies or digital pass images will not be accepted if you left your hard copy pass at home.
• Do you already own a pass? Mesa Verde National Park honors the Interagency Annual and lifetime Passes that are valid at multiple national park and federal sites. If you already have a valid Interagency Annual Pass, you will not be required to pay the 7-Day entrance fee. Pass holders must provide their Interagency Annual or Lifetime pass for validation or will be required to pay the entrance fee.
• Are you visiting multiple parks? Upon arrival at Mesa Verde National Park you may purchase Interagency Annual and lifetime passes that allow entry at multiple national parks and federal lands.For information about other pass options, please visit Recreation.gov " Buy a Pass" page or compare the passes at the USGS Pass Store 
• The park no longer accepts cash or checks for any entrance fees, Interagency Passes, or ticket reservations. All purchases must be made by credit card only (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, or Diners Club). NO CASH ON PREMISE.
• Although the park is open year-round, overnight accommodations and some areas (including Wetherill Mesa) are closed during the winter months. Be sure to check the park's Operating Hours page or pick up a Visitor Guide upon arrival for details on services available during your visit.
• The Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center is open from 8:30 am -4:00 pm, daily. The Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum open from 10:00 am- 3:00 pm daily.

Only plain water is allowed on any tour. Candy, tobacco or gum are NOT permitted into any cliff dwelling.

Morefield Campground at Mesa Verde National Park is operated by Aramark . You may book online at Aramark's Mesa Verde website or call 1-800-449-2288. The campground will re-open April 26.

Mesa Verde National Park does not require a Timed Ticket Entry to enter the park.

Booking Windows

In 2024 tour reservations will be available 14 days in advance, 8:00 am MST, on a rolling daily window. (For example, reservations for May 6 will be available starting Apr 22 at 8:00 am MDT.  All Ranger-Led tours require a tour reservation.

Booking a reservation in advance is strongly encouraged. All tour reservations will be sold online or by calling 877-444-6777. No reservations are reserved in person. The park does not have a waiting list available. We recommend to check recration.gov for any cancellations.

Changes and Cancellations

Cancellations must be completed at least 24-hours before your scheduled tour start time for a full refund minus the non-refundable per-ticket reservation fee. Refunds will not be given for tours cancelled or modified less than 24-hours before the scheduled tour time. All reservations are NON-TRANSFERABLE AND NON-REFUNDABLE unless the tour is cancelled by the National Park Service.

Contact Information

Mailing address.

PO Box 8 Mesa Verde CO 81330

Phone Number

970-529-4465

Available Tours and Tickets

• Square Tower House
• Balcony House
• Cliff Palace

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A - Balcony House

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 8 Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330 970.529.4465

Balcony House Tour – Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

The Trek Details

The Trek in a snapshot

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Managing Agency

Mesa Verde National Park

Not allowed

Yes. Entrance and tour fees

Yes. At trailhead

Trail Condition

Lots of stairs, ladders, crouching, crawling is involved

From the national park website: This one-hour, ranger-guided tour involves climbing a 32-foot (9.8m) ladder, crawling through a 12-foot (3.7m) long tunnel, and climbing up a 60-foot (20m) open rock face with two 17- foot (5m) ladders to exit the site.

Bring a bottle of water

Best Season

Spring, summer, fall

About 0.28 miles loop trail

Time Required

Parking elevation, summit elevation, elevation difference.

Trek Planner Maps

Trail map .

GPS Coordinates

Parking: 37.162, -108.46482 Waiting area (for tour to start): 37.16246, -108.46505 [Balcony House: 37.16153, -108.46423

Experience. Discover. Explore.

Follow along on our adventure then go out on your own!

Balcony House was built by a group of people called the Ancestral Pueblo about 800+ years ago.  Many people still call this group the “Anasazi”, but according to park rangers, the term Anasazi is actually an offensive term to Native American groups because it means something along the lines of “ancient enemy” or “enemy ancestors”.  They do not want to refer to their ancestors as enemies.  So the term Ancestral Pueblo is the term we use now.

The Balcony House tour was highly recommended to me by several park rangers when I made a stop at the Visitor Center.  It was my first time to Mesa Verde National Park, so I figured: why not!

Balcony House tour is so named because it’s located right on a rock ledge that looks like a balcony.  This tour requires stooping, crouching, climbing a 32 ft ladder, and even some crawling at points through a 12 ft by 18 inch tunnel.  That being said, there were people of all ages on this tour, but you will be required to do all of that.

The tour begins at the parking lot and you wait until your tour guide, a national park ranger, comes and asks to see your tour tickets.  The ranger will gather everyone together and give a quick orientation session of what is expected and what is required for the tour.  You are only allowed to bring water on this tour.   After a quick history lesson, we were led down the cement path to several gates that lead to Balcony House.

As mentioned above, you will be required to climb this ladder.  Our guide, had us climb up two at a time.

Once we got to Balcony House, our guide gathered us together to point out some fascinating parts of the ruins.  Many of these ruins have been rebuilt or stabilized to support people visiting.  You will need to be self-aware during this tour and pay attention to where you touch and step.  Right after our guide finished saying “do not touch anything except the few parts I point out,” there were people already leaning up against walls, touching everything, and even stepping on things they shouldn’t.  Please be mindful as you are on this tour.

Balcony House has many features that make it a great defensible position.  There are even some choke points so only one person can proceed one at a time.

Someone from our group asked where the Ancestral Pueblo would have space to plant crops.  The ranger said that the top of the mesa was filled with farms, pit houses, dams, and people going about daily life.   The cliff dwellings were used as, well, dwellings.  You can see many examples of daily life through the grinding stones, kivas, living areas, and more.  There are 40 rooms at Balcony House!  It’s pretty incredible to be walking in the same place that people did 800+ years ago!

At the end of the tour, we were forced to crawl through one of the defensive choke points to the parking lot.

Personal Thoughts

The Balcony House Tour was a highlight for me in Mesa Verde! I would highly suggest you do this tour if you are able. I love seeing the structures and ruins up close and to explore an actual dwelling was exciting! This is a fun adventure especially if you have children; they would love crawling and climbing and imagining living at Balcony House!

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Balcony House | Mesa Verde

• Posted in National Parks
• Updated January 1, 2023

Before you go you should know that anyone with a fear of heights should avoid Balcony House. There is a 32 foot ladder that climbs straight up the cliff face, and two people on our tour were near tears trying to face down their fears. This hike may not be for people who are large, either, as there is a tunnel that narrows down to 18 inches to crawl through. You have to go through on your hands and knees for about ten feet of crawling. Finally, there is a climb up the slickrock face in steps that have been carved out of the cliff. A chain protects you and it would be nearly impossible to fall, but for those who don’t do heights well, stick with one of the other hikes.

Balcony House has a shaded area to meet at the trailhead where you’ll find your ranger. The descent into the canyon bottom is easy and doesn’t seem very steep. The first stop is the seep spring, which is a tiny pool of water and damp moss in the back of the adjacent grotto. If this was the main water source for the people in the pueblo, it wasn’t very much.

Next you come to a huge ladder. According to park literature, it is 32 feet tall. It is also a double wide ladder so two people can climb at once. The ladder is no problem if you are adept at climbing and heights don’t bother you. After the climb you can walk over to the balcony area.

Balcony House is special because the entire house is built on a small ledge, but it got it’s name because there is an actual balcony on part of the house. There is a retaining wall blocking you from a nasty drop. The ranger will give most of his information in this location, but you are free to walk around the area and look at the kiva. There is a short ladder where you climb around the other side of the Balcony House because the door that used to lead between the two sides was sealed up. No one knows why.

After learning about Balcony House, you will walk a few steps to the tunnel. It is tight, then opens up big enough for you to stand, then narrows back again to about 18 inches. The final walk out hugs the cliff, and you climb steps carved into the sandstone. It is steep, but doable for most people. There is a protective chain, but we still saw people clinging to the wall like ants. Make sure to look for the finger holds that were carved in the rock by the people who originally lived here.

If you have any doubts about Balcony House, try Spruce Tree House or Cliff Palace . But the adventure of Balcony House is a lot of fun for those families who are up for the climbing and crawling.

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Travel Tips

The mesa verde “balcony house” climb and tour.

Balcony House is an adventurous cliff dwelling tour that requires climbing a series of ladders, including one as tall as 32 feet.  And, there is a tight 12′ long tunnel that takes a bit of yielding to get the body through. I found the ladder assents and tunnel navigation to be a lot of fun, however some might look at it with a bit of trepidation.  All of the climbing around really adds to the overall excitement of this tour, which I think is one of the coolest in the park.  The nod for most popular sight and tour in the park however goes to the” Cliff Palace .”

Be sure to stop by the Far View Visitor Center to purchase your tickets for the one-hour tour. Click the following link to see more of my pictures of the Balcony House at Mesa Verde National Park.  If you’ve ever been to the “Balcony House” please leave a comment below and tell my readers and me about your experience.

Click the following link if you’d like to see a video of the “ Spruce Treehouse .”

Mike Shubic

Tags: Balcony House , Balcony House Tour , Mesa Verde Balcony House , Pictures of the Balcony House , Tour Balcony House

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Balcony House - Mesa Verde National Park, USA

Native american cliff dwelling in southern colorado.

Introducing Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park’s archaeological sites span over 700 years of Native American history, from 600-1300 CE. The renowned cliff dwellings, the height of the Puebloans' architecture, include more than 600 alcove sites. These cliff dwellings are each unique and adapt to the topography of the alcoves and cliffs of the region. Today there are 26 tribes affiliated with the site, each with their own unique significances and traditions.

Top Amer(Usa) Colorado Mesa Verde LIFE Photo Collection

Historic Context

The history of the Mesa Verde region is divided into many eras by archaeologists to help describe what the peoples of the region were doing at the time. Throughout these eras, agriculture was how life was sustained. The weather varied greatly between dry, hot summers and extremely cold winters. Periods of drought were very common, and often dictated where people settled within the Mesa Verde region itself. Alcove homes were built when people began living in larger communities. These communities moved less and began to permanently settle within the canyons, closer to water. Outside of the canyons, smaller farmstead homes were built to support the central community.Mexican-Spanish missionaries were the first Europeans to come into contact with those living in Mesa Verde. After Mesa Verde became known to American researchers in 1874, collectors heavily pillaged the alcove homes, which contained weaving, wickerwork, and ceramics of remarkable quality. These collectors  came from federally financed efforts to explore the American West and study Southwestern archaeological sites. However, in 1906 the site became protected under the Federal Antiquities Act, signed into law by Theodore Roosevelt. This was the first act signed into law that protected Native American sites from looting, and made it illegal to purchase and sell historic or prehistoric artifacts without a permit.A group of prospectors entered the Balcony House in 1884. Led by S.E. Osborn, the prospectors were looking for coal seams in the canyons. The prospectors left their names carved into the site. Jesse Nusbaum and a team of archaeologists then excavated Balcony House and began efforts to stabilize the house.

Mesa Verde by Kacey Hadick CyArk

Mesa Verde National Park Today

Today Mesa Verde National Park covers 52,485 acres of land in the American Southwest. It contains sites such as Spruce Tree House, Square Tower House, Fire Temple, and Balcony House. The site today is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is protected because it bears exceptional testimony to the ancestral Puebloan civilization. Each year the site draws thousands of visitors for hiking, camping, and stargazing. The area around the national park has been developed and is populated by nearly 100,000 people. Finding a balance between economic development and the preservation of the natural resources and cultural diversity will be necessary in the future, in order to prevent the destruction of archaeological sites and sites important to the 26 tribes connected to the Mesa Verde region.

Pueblo cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park by CyArk CyArk

Balcony House

Balcony House overlooks Soda Canyon, about 700 feet above the narrow and rugged canyon. The canyon provided a number of important resources used in the everyday lives of the Ancestral Puebloan people. The site contains numerous buildings comprised of 40 rooms, and gets its name from its well preserved balcony. Balconies were common in the cliff dwellings, although only a few have survived to this day. There were not only access points into the second story of the buildings but also spaces used for work or drying food. A common feature in ancestral pueblo sites are kivas, also found at the Balcony house. These were circular subterranean structures that were used for both religious rituals and political meetings. While larger kivas were likely the social center for the whole community, smaller ones were the ritual and social center for specific families. 

Photogrammetry at Balcony House by CyArk CyArk

Expedition Overview

CyArk documented Balcony House at Mesa Verde National Park over two days in February 2017 using LiDAR and terrestrial photogrammetry. The two technologies were combined to generate a textured 3D model of the site which was then sliced to generate drawings. CyArk was able to document the site in a short amount of time and undertook this expedition as research and development to understand the resolution possible given a limited amount of time. A final report as well as all of the architectural drawings were provided to the park at the completion of the project.

Mesa verde panorama (2018) by Kacey Hadick CyArk

Additional Resources For more information on this site, its history and additional resources relating to CyArk’s work please visit CyArk Mesa Verde National Park Resources .

Find out more about CyArk's work by signing up for our newsletter . You can also support our continued efforts on projects like this by donating . This project was made possible by our partner the U.S. National Park Service

CyArk's Story

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Balcony House Tour at Mesa Verde

This post may contain a few affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ever wanted to go inside and see up close one of those famous ancient cliff dwellings? Mesa Verde National Park has tours for 3 of them: Long House, Cliff Palace, and Balcony House. If you visit I highly recommend taking one of the tours-or if you’ve got time, do all 3! They’re inexpensive and it will get you up close with an amazing archaeological wonder!

Purchase Tickets

You’ll have to pay to go on one of the tours for the cliff dwellings, but they’re very affordable at only $5 per person as of 2017 . You can purchase them at one of these 3 places:

• Mesa Verde Visitor’s Center – which is right at the entrance to the park
• Colorado Welcome Center – located in Cortez, the town nearby
• Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum – located inside the park.

The tours run at specific times throughout the day, and also are only available during certain months of the year . For more information on hours and when they’re available, check the National Park’s website out here: https://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/tour_tickets.htm

Balcony House Tour

Since we were only at Mesa Verde for 2 half days, we only had time to take one tour, and we chose the one for Balcony House. Our tour started at 9am and we met in the parking lot of Balcony House located on Chapin Mesa . It was a fairly large group of around 20-30 people, and composed of people of all ages.

The only real challenge on this tour-and they do warn you about the difficulty before you buy the tickets, was that you had to climb a 32 foot(10 meter) wooden ladder, go through an 18 inch(45cm) wide tunnel, and climb another ladder at the end. So if any of that doesn’t appeal to you, you may want to try a different tour. As a reference on ability, there was a young couple with their daughters; one being a baby strapped in with a special child carrier backpack, and 2 others of around 5-7 years of age. There were also older people in their 60’s and 70’s on the tour. Everyone made it up the ladders just fine-so you don’t have to be in excellent shape or anything, just be able to walk and climb a ladder!

We started out walking down a long staircase and onto a path that followed the canyon below the mesa top. After a bit we came to the base of the cliff dwelling. This is the part where you have the big wooden ladder to climb! I have to say I was slightly nervous-but it was really easy. The rungs of the ladder were wide and you had plenty to grab onto. Two people were able to go up at a time, so if you have a partner with you and you’re a bit scared just climb up together! There’s no rush either, you can take your time as needed.

After everyone was up at the top, our park ranger guide went on to explain a lot about the history of the Ancestral Puebloans, how they built the dwellings, what purposes the different rooms and buildings had, etc. She was very friendly and knowledgeable. I have nothing bad to say about any of the rangers we met in the National Parks so far-they’re all nice and helpful!

We walked the whole length of the cliff dwelling, and there was plenty of time to get a lot of photos and look around. Some parts were off limits, but I really felt like they let you inside enough of it to get a good feel of the place.

After the tour of the cliff dwelling, we had one final ladder to climb. This one was not as wide so you had to go up single file. We said our goodbyes and thanked our guide once we were back up at the mesa top. The tour in total took about 2 hours, which could be more or less time depending on the group size. I really hope to return to Mesa Verde someday and take the other tours!

Read more about the sites to see on Chapin Mesa, in Mesa Verde National Park!

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15 thoughts on “balcony house tour at mesa verde”.

Wow, I was about to say, imagine waking up to that view every day and then I read your caption haha, but for real, they had prime real estate. This is one place in the southwest I have been dying to go, thanks for the virtual your.

AHH, as a claustrophobic the narrow passages are way too much for me, but glad I could vicariously live through this experience 🙂

Oh my that crawl way looks tiny. I experienced something similar when i crawled through the Cu Chi tunnels in HCM City, Vietnam. Hat’s off to people who devised such techniques in old days. Your tour photos are great with informative captions. I did not know about this place earlier.

Yeah we’re not used to going through such small tunnels and such, I think they also made it as a protective measure against any enemies.

I visited a similar cliff dwelling in Arizona. I can’t remember the name, but I enjoyed it! Lovely photos!

The views are great, but the ladder looks scary. But this ladder and narrow passage reminded me of our trip to Lower Antelope Canyon. But all of that seems worth when you experience great views. Thanks for sharing.

Oh I’d love to go to Antelope Canyon! Yes the ladder climb was absolutely worth it, a little scary, but seeing everyone else climb it can also give you some courage too, it’s really not that bad 🙂

Wow, this looks amazing! I really like the mountain views. And the steps are so cool. I’d like to visit a place like this.

What a great tour, its looks very interesting and those views are stunning. Not sure I’d like climbing up that big ladder much though 🙂

It’s not for everyone, but luckily there is another tour that doesn’t require any ladder climbing 🙂

I’ve always wanted to visit the pueblos! Thanks for the advice. The ladder isn’t a problem, but that crawlway- I don’t know if I could do that

It really wasn’t too bad to crawl through, like I said it wasn’t long..I had my winter coat on and a back pack and was fine!

The narrow passage ways are a little scary!! Such a great place though!

I’ve been in Colorado for 10 years now and Mesa Verde has been on my bucket list. We had it booked and reserved a few years ago and the wildfires up that way caused us to cancel. Time to get it back on the list after seeing your photos. Was it scary climbing that one ladder that went straight up the cliff face?

Oh, yeah I heard there are lots of fires on Mesa Verde(also saw all the dead trees on the mesa top from them!), hopefully you’ll be able to get there soon as it’s a really cool place! I was a bit nervous climbing the ladder, but seeing everyone else do it gave me courage, and it really was an easy ladder to climb-the rungs were really wide, you had plenty of space and could take your time!

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Balcony House Loop Trail

• Photos (369)
• Print/PDF map

Discover this 0.4-mile loop trail near Mancos, Colorado. Generally considered a moderately challenging route. This is a very popular area for birding and hiking, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. The best times to visit this trail are May through October. You'll need to leave pups at home — dogs aren't allowed on this trail.

The trail is closed, not sure if its just until spring. But you can’t see the houses at all from the outlook. Pretty canyon though.

Beautiful tour and stories of the Pueblo people. Definitely treacherous!

Balcony House tour at Mesa Verde NP. Very cool.

Very informative and detailed tour. Listen to the ranger and know your limitations.

Did the Ranger-led Balcony House Tour & loved it. Great value offered at a reasonable price. Ranger was very knowledgeable & answered everyone's questions. There is some hiking involved down to the first ladder & up a steep exposed staircase at the end. The first ladder looked about 40 feet & was super fun to climb. The cliff dwellings have some narrow passages & the one at the end was pretty tight & claustrophobic. I didn't have any issues with the ladder or tight opening, but others had animated expressions on their faces after completing both. Overall, great experience & loved it. The dwellings date back to the 1200's or earlier & are fascinating to explore. Beware if you have fear of heights or any issues crawling through a small, tight space (only briefly.) The Ranger will issue a long warning about the tour before it starts. You have to book a reservation for the tour through the Recreation.gov website costing $8 online, plus park entrance fee at the gatehouse. Note -- Balcony House is located in the far rear of the National Park & it's a 1 hour drive with other traffic, sharp curves, elevation gain/loss & turn-offs/other attractions along the way. Just yourself enough time to get there. Another similar popular tour is the Cliff Palace, which is actually visible from near a parking area, without actually having to do any hiking, just a short staircase.

The ladders are definitely no joke, even though I'm not afraid of heights. The tunnel was super easy. Amazing site! forgot to turn off Alltrails at the end.

Such interesting history!

The 32 ft ladder was a gut check for some in the group. Interesting and worth the price of admission. Please if you have toddlers or small kids don't bring them.

You need to purchase a tour ticket from recreation.gov to go on this ranger-led hike. Great up close look at Balcony House. Because the super hot 35-foot ladder. I saw a woman wearing gloves and soon figured out why. There are also tight spaces to navigate through.

You will need to purchase a tour to complete this trail. So worth it! Beautiful dwellings to be seen up close. There are ladders to climb and a small tunnel to crawl through.

Fantastic! Our ranger was amazing! Super excited and animated

you need reserve beforehand at the NP website. Nice guide and beautiful dwellings.

Amazing tour of balcony house

Amazing!! Took a 6 and 4 year old. They did great!! Soo fun!

Looking for a tour for 22nd please for 3 people

The Balcony House is the longest and most engaging cliff dwelling tour in the park.

nice instructive walk.

Had an incredible visit to Balcony House! It was just opened this week after being closed for two years (according to our ranger). Booking the trip had to be done within seconds of the two-week window opening on-line. You have to click fast to get these tickets!! Balcony House does take some effort - climbing a 30 foot ladder and squeezing through 2 very small holes. But the visit is amazing and it has the feel of an intimate gathering with only about 15 people on each tour. If you are somewhat agile and not afraid of heights - then book this ahead of Cliff Palace and Long House.

Hi, I have bought 4 tickets for Tue, Aug 9, 2022 at 11:00 AM, but I would like to change with the same number of tickets at 1:00 PM, same date. Is anyone interested?

Looking for 3 tickets for Sunday June 26th, to any cliff dwelling ranger led tour. will pay! Thank you! Please text 253-777-2468

Closed-should open in July. Check their website

when opens up again definitely a sweet ranger tour through this area. spectacular views on way out of balcony house

Closed in 2020 but you can see the Balcony House fron the Soda Canyon Overlook trail.

May 2019 trip to Southwest, fourth visit to CO, last time was only year ago in summer. Day 11 Second longer visit (Main Goal#12 of trip), last was 22 years ago (then I was at Cliff Palace). Even on weekdays very crowded and popular are all ruin tours. Was lucky to get one ticket for Balcony House. If you hiked before in the mountains on trails with some exposure this one is not a problem. Very nice and informative tour about history of Mesa Verde, ruins are not visible from road. Latter hike short Soda Canyon Trail to see Balcony Ruins from a distance.

Needed to have tickets to see the better views.

A short little walk and climb down to the cliff dwelling. The guide was entertaining and knowledgeable. Totally, recommend this tour. Enjoy!

Awesome informative, short hike. Loved it!

Very fun little hike! Of course it’s a tour guided hike, so be early to the welcome centers before 11AM or you won’t guarantee a spot! It was a nice little short hike, but be respectful of the architecture since it’s old!

This trail is a must for the kids! They loved climbing to the tall ladder and crawling through the tunnel at Balcony House!

Frequently asked questions about Balcony House Loop Trail

What are some of the facilities available for balcony house loop trail, how to get to balcony house loop trail, what is the expected weather this week for balcony house loop trail.

• Wed, June 12 - 93 degrees/sunny
• Thu, June 13 - 93 degrees/mostly sunny
• Fri, June 14 - 75 degrees/am thunderstorms
• Sat, June 15 - 88 degrees/sunny
• Sun, June 16 - 90 degrees/sunny

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Plan you day in advance. - Mesa Verde National Park

• United States    
• Colorado (CO)    
• Mesa Verde National Park    
• Mesa Verde National Park - Things to Do    

Plan you day in advance.

The views are really good. The history is exceptional. We were amazed to see so many different cliff dwellings still exist. We found that we were able to do the Cliff Palace & Balcony House tours, explore the visitor's center and Far View sites all in 1 day. We didn't do any longer hikes as the altitude was tiring us out.

Although the Wetherill Mesa road was closed, we did not feel at all cheated out of a great NP experience. We spent 6 hours one day and 5 hours the next day in the park. In that time, we did the guided tour of Cliff Palace (didn't have tickets originally, but checked the website multiple times a day and got tickets 2 days ahead); went to the visitor center, visited the museum/movie; walked through all of the Far View sites; walked the Petroglyph Trail (the highlight!); and stopped at all of the pit house and pueblo sites. We really appreciated the honesty of the museum/movie is telling how the modern-day indigenous people do not feel welcomed by the NP, given how their story has been told in the past. There is an ongoing effort to remedy this. The chance to walk inside Cliff Palace on a tour was a real treat and Ranger Adam did a great job explaining what he knew and being careful not to speculate about things that can't be known definitively. The Petroglyph trail was super fun, with plenty of sandstone steps, small scrambles and gorgeous rock formations. The petroglyph panel is very easy to spot because there's a barrier in front of it and a sign asking that it not be touched. We felt that the amount of time we spent in the park was just right. One long day would've been pretty exhausting, but 2 shorter days was perfect.

An amazing place. A National Park not to miss. The drive is long but well worth it. Be sure to book your tours in advance or you won't get to actually go into one of the two dwellings open to the public in 2024.

Here is the information I was looking for when I decided to do the cliff house or balcony house tour at Mesa Verde. I wasn't sure I would fit. Im about 250 lbs, 5'7''. I fit. The visitor center has a replica of the tunnel. Pictures are of man 5'10'' 210 lbs.

This National Park contains some of the most magnificent views I have ever seen. And the cliff dwellings are amazing to see. We regretted that we did not book advance tickets for a tour down to the Pueblo houses. Next time!

We were fortunate to visit on a beautiful day when there were relatively few other tourists. While the sites themselves (and the creativity and resilience of the people who created them and lived there) are profound, not to be ignored is the breathtaking drive up the mesa and into the park. The whole way up we kept asking, "How did they find this place?!?" Plan on blocking off a full day, for every time we thought we'd seen everything, we'd drive around a bend and there in the cliffs would be another site.

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Balcony House

Mesa Verde National Park

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Most Adventurous Cliff Dwelling Tour

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NPS/Kayla Eiler

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