All of us at the Mesa Verde Foundation
and Mesa Verde Museum Association wish
you a happy, healthy holiday season,
and a new year filled with joy and adventure!
2012 will be an exciting year for Mesa
Verde National Park and its partners,
with the promise of another busy summer
followed by the fall opening of the
long-awaited Visitor and Research Center
now under construction at the park entrance.
We’ll do our best to keep you apprised
of park news, special activities and
events through this e-newsletter in
the coming months. In the meantime,
thank you so much for your support!
We could not do all we do without you.
New
Winter Recreational Opportunities and
Free Park Entrance in January and February
Mesa Verde National Park plans to groom
four trail systems this winter if snowfall
permits. The trail systems will include
the Cliff Palace Loop, Wetherill Road
Trail, Prater Canyon, and Morefield
Campground Trails. The total distance
of these trails will be 28.4 miles of
which 20.4 miles are groomed. The trail
systems will include the Cliff Palace
Loop, Wetherill Road Trail, Prater Canyon
and Morefield Campground Trails. The
ungroomed skiing is located on Wetherill
Road which is closed to vehicular traffic.
Maps and detailed information on skiing
and snowshowing winter recreational
opportunities can be acquired on the
park website at
www.nps.gov/meve,
at the park entrance gate, by calling
park dispatch at 970-529-4622 or Chapin
Mesa Archeological Museum at 970-529-4631.
The Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum
is now open daily from 9:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m. through December 31, 2011.
From January 1 through March 10, 2012
the museum hours will change to 9:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and entrance to
the park will be free in January and
February.
Spruce Tree House, the park’s
third largest cliff dwelling and the
only dwelling open during the winter,
can be visited on a ranger-guided
walking tour offered daily at 10:00
a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. These
one-hour tours are free and do not
require a ticket. Interested visitors
should meet the ranger in the lobby
of the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum
just before tour time.
The Mesa Top Loop Road will remain
open throughout the winter from 8:00
a.m. to sunset, weather permitting.
Heavy snowfall or icy road conditions
may close the road temporarily. The
main park road will remain open throughout
the winter, subject to road closures
when hazardous road conditions exist.
The Cliff Palace Loop Road will be
closed to vehicular traffic effective
December 1, 2011 through April 1,
2012.
Food service is available at Spruce
Tree Terrace, open daily from 11:00
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Far View Lodge
and Terrace, the Far View Visitor
Center and the Morefield Campground
are closed for the season. There is
no gasoline or other fuel available
in the park.
Additional information on visiting
Mesa Verde, updates on weather, road
and trail conditions may be obtained
by visiting the park’s website
at www.nps.gov/meve
or by calling the park’s main
information line at 970-529-4465.
Twelve hundred people attended Mesa
Verde National Park’s annual holiday
open house and luminaria lighting on
Thursday, December 8. Visitors were
treated to an unprecedented array of
musical performances, an astronomy program,
and a spectacular nearly-full moon over
Spruce Tree House. The crisp weather
was perfectly complemented by the free
chili, hot chocolate, and cookies served
to all. All of the park and partner
staff and many volunteers work behind
the scenes for weeks to prepare for
this annual tradition. Many thanks to
the National Park Service staff and
area volunteers for setting up, lighting,
and then taking down more than 1,500
luminarias throughout the park headquarters
area. Thanks also to the many performers
who shared their musical talents throughout
the evening. We also thank ARAMARK for
donating the delicious chili and beverages,
and City Market in Cortez for donating
the cookies guests enjoyed.
If you’ve never attended the
park’s holiday open house, we
encourage you to mark your calendar
now for next year’s event - it’s
a truly magical night! We hope you’ll
join us on Thursday, December 6, 2012.
MVA
Hosts Successful Member Reception
Mesa Verde’s historic Superintendent’s
House was the setting for a lively reception
just for Mesa Verde Association members
and Mesa Verde Foundation Fellows, held
in conjunction with the park’s
annual holiday open house on December
8. About 100 members and friends filled
the residence and were treated to breathtaking
views of the winter sunset as well as
the moon over Spruce Tree House, which
was alight with lanterns. Association
and Foundation board, staff, and park
officials enjoyed meeting new friends
and reconnecting with long-time supporters.
We thank everyone who attended for helping
us ring in the holidays in style!
MVMA
Launches New Website—Member Discounts
Now Available Online!
The Mesa Verde Museum Association is
pleased to announce that we’ve
redesigned our website and webstore.
Now, FINALLY, members can receive your
20% discount when you shop online with
us, as well as when you shop in our
stores or place an order by phone. Our
new webstore accepts all major credit
cards as well as PayPal. And if those
conveniences weren’t enough, the
webstore features a much broader selection
of merchandise than ever before, with
new items being added all the time!
Check out our new online presence at
www.mesaverde.org
and let us know what you think. As always,
proceeds from your purchases support
Mesa Verde National Park.
Members will need a special coupon
code in order to obtain your 20% member
discount when shopping online. We
e-mailed that coupon code to all current
members on December 15. If you haven’t
received your coupon code, it may
be because we don’t have a valid
e-mail address for you. Please contact
the MVMA office by e-mailing us at
info@mesaverde.org or call us at 800-305-6053
or 970-529-4445 for assistance.
Not a member yet? It’s easy
to join! Just click here
or call us at 800-305-6053 or 970-529-4445
for assistance.
