Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park

Did the tour today at cliff palace at 2pm. It was absolutely beautiful. Beginning of the tour, guide spent about 25 minutes telling us what we were going to do during the tour. That took forever. And at the end of the tour I felt I knew more about our tour guide and his personal life versus Cliff Palace and it's natives. He didn't really elaborate on facts and culture. He over talked and was very dramatic and consistently talked about his personal experiences. I understand his heart was probably in the right place but honestly my husband and I were bored and spent a majority of the time rolling our eyes. He talked about how he became a park ranger and even said that as a park ranger he could, " say want he wanted" on his tours. At the end he went into some emotional speech about going on journeys and how that related to the tour. It was weird and my husband and I and another couple couldn't get up those steps and ladders fast enough. The focus needs to be more on an informational standpoint. Views were great and besides the eh tour we enjoyed the history.

Mesa Verde National Park is great place to visit and national treasure. It is a beautiful park with some great hikes and awesome scenery. The extra charge to have a guided tour to Cliff Palace is well worth it. The hike is strenuous with steep grade and ladder climbing as well as some tight squeezes so I would not recommended it for people with knee, hip, cardiovascular, lung, balance, weight or fear issues. You do have the opportunity to rest a couple of times during the tour while the ranger gives you info.