Balcony House is a unique cliff dwelling that is located aloha airline miles for sale in Mesa Verde

Balcony House is a unique cliff dwelling that is located aloha airline florida keys vacation packages miles for sale in Mesa Verde National Park. The site has a very well designed florida keys vacation packages aloha airline miles for sale balcony with about a 3 foot high parapet wall where you can look out over Soda Canyon. Other than on the guided tour the only place where you can get a view of the Balcony House is from the overlook on the Soda Canyon trail. The times and frequency of the guided tours vary throughout the year so it is best to visit the Mesa Verde website and plan your visit ahead of time. Since the size of the tours are limited you might also consider buying aloha airline miles for sale tickets in advance aloha airline miles for sale for the sites you are interested in. Other popular tours at Mesa Verde include the Cliff Palace and the Long House. The Spruce Tree House and the Step House are other cliff dwellings aloha airline miles for sale that you can visit without purchasing aloha airline miles for sale a ticket aloha airline miles for sale or participating in a guided tour.
Tour tickets are obtained from the Far View Visitor Center at Mesa Verde and also from the Visitor Center aloha airline miles for sale in Cortez, Colorado. Tickets aloha airline miles for sale can be purchased up to 2 days in advance. Once you have your tour tickets in hand follow your map to the Balcony aloha airline miles for sale House parking area. Keep in mind that if you are driving from Cortez that the Far View Visitor florida keys vacation packages Center is about 14 miles inside of the park once you turn off of Highway 160. It is about another 9-10 miles from there to the Balcony florida keys vacation packages House. The speed limits within the park never exceed 45 MPH but if you plan on averaging 25-30 MPH you will come out about right.
The tours assemble under the rustic log canopy and wait for their ranger guide. If you arrive early and have a ticket for a later tour the ranger might let you join their tour if it isn't already full. It appears to be up to the discretion of the ranger that is guiding the tour.
NOTE: The Balcony House has several obstacles that might prove too difficult for some visitors. A 32 foot ladder must be scaled to enter the Balcony House and a tunnel aloha airline miles for sale with narrow openings is near the exit. Each of these obstacles aloha airline miles for sale and others are shown in the slideshow at the end of this post so you can see before hand what to expect. There is a box on the terrace of the Far View Visitor Center that is about 4 feet long and 18 inches wide. Supposedly if you can fit through the box you can fit through the tunnel. florida keys vacation packages While the box is the same dimension from end to end the tunnel is actually bigger in the middle and a little more roomy.
The trail begins by descending some well built sturdy stairs. Balcony House is just below the parking florida keys vacation packages area but to get to it the trail drops down a little over 100 feet and follows a lower bench in the cliff to the entrance ladder.
The 32 foot ladder that leads up to the ruins is wide enough for 2 people to climb it side by side. The ladder is well secured and sturdy enough that there doesn't seem to be any movement at all as people are climbing it.
There is a small alcove at the top of the ladder with a narrow passageway and another small ladder that finally brings florida keys vacation packages you into the ruins. You might say that the entrances into the Balcony House from either side are very defensible.
The Balcony House ruins are very well preserved. Evidence of the original stucco is still apparent on some of the walls. Imagine what it must have looked like when it was first built with its fresh veneer covering the stones. The balcony itself aloha airline miles for sale really sets this site apart from some of the other cliff dwellings. It is interesting that all the sites seem to have their own unique features that reflect florida keys vacation packages the flare and ingenuity of the architects as they adapted their structures to the shape of the alcoves using sound techniques to stabilize boulders and take full advantage of the space.
A short ladder leads up from the balcony to a back stage area that would have been more sheltered florida keys vacation packages from the weather. aloha airline miles for sale From there you can walk out onto the next open area where there are a couple of kivas.
As you can see the entry and exit points are tall enough that you can turn yourself a bit and pass right on through. The hardest aspect aloha airline miles for sale of the tunnel seemed to be standing back up while exiting. There is a slight drop that made it a touch awkward.
A fence is added to the hewn stairway as a nice safety feature. aloha airline miles for sale The chains along the sides can assist with pulling ones self up the steps but it seemed easier aloha airline miles for sale to just walk up them in a normal fashion. The steps aren't florida keys vacation packages really very steep but perhaps they become a little slippery when they are wet.
Tours of the Balcony House are only conducted from late April to mid October. aloha airline miles for sale If you are visiting Mesa Verde at any other time you will have to settle for viewing them from the Soda Canyon overlook. A good telephoto lens and pair of binoculars will be needed to get a really good look at them from there. It would appear that the rangers don't turn anyone away that has a ticket and they let each person decide for themselves whether they want to try the tour. The Balcony House is well worth the effort and quite the fulfilling adventure. If you would like to see it for yourself florida keys vacation packages then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.