Balcony House

Mesa Verde National Park Tours

Due to construction on the Cliff Palace Loop Road Balcony House is tentatively scheduled to open on July 1, 2022. Please check www.nps.gov/meve for the current status of all road conditions within the park. The Mesa Top Loop Road offers visitors the opportunity to explore 700 years of archeological history and provides views of Cliff Palace from Sun Temple.

(This tour will be offered in 2022). Reservations will be accepted starting Friday, June 17, 2022.) Tickets are available 14 days in advance, 8:00 am MDT, on a rolling daily window.

A tour of Balcony House is one of the most adventurous in the park and not for the faint-of-heart. You will scale the face of a cliff via several tall ladders, squeeze your way through a narrow tunnel on your hands and knees, and explore some of the same passages used over 800 years ago! For those ready for the challenge, this tour offers you the chance to follow in the footsteps of the Ancestral Pueblo residents who lived there. For a virtual tour, go to https://go.nps.gov/BHvideo . 

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If you plan on booking a second tour on the same day, we highly suggest you give yourself at least:

• 2 hours between the time you book this Balcony House tour and a Cliff Palace tour (i.e: 10:00 am BH and 12:00 pm or later CP).
• 3 hours between the time you book this Balcony House tour and a Long House tour (i.e: 9:00 am BH and 12:00 pm or later LH).

For more information on the minimum amount of time needed between tours, look for the booking advice link on https://go.nps.gov/mv_tourtickets.  

Select a date to see a list of times

Need to Know

• What to Expect

  On this one-hour tour, you will climb a 32-foot (9.8 m) ladder, crawl through an 18-inch wide (45 cm) and 12-foot (3.7 m) long tunnel, and climb up a 60-foot (20 m) open cliff face with uneven stone steps and two 17-foot (5 m) ladders to exit.

• Safety Information

  Consider your physical health before joining a hike, especially if you have heart or respiratory problems, or other physical difficulties. Elevations range between 7,000 and 7,500 feet (2134 m and 2286 m) above sea level. You should plan for all weather possibilities because conditions are quite variable.

  There are no height or age restrictions for this tour, but children must be capable of climbing the ladders on their own. Infants must be placed in a carrier and the adults carrying them must be able to maintain mobility and balance.

  Cameras are welcome, but you must be able to carry all of your gear while keeping your hands free to climb the ladders. No tripods are allowed.

• Tour Directions

  From the park entrance, drive 20 miles (32.2 km) to the all-way stop on Chapin Mesa. Turn left. Drive 0.4 miles (0.6 km). Turn left. Balcony House is 3.4 miles (5.5 km) ahead. The tour begins at the north end of the Balcony House parking lot.

  To make sure you arrive on time, allow at least 1 to 1-1/4 hour to drive to the Balcony House parking lot from the park entrance. Meet the ranger at the benches (under the shade structure). We suggest arriving at least 15 minutes before the tour is scheduled to start.

• Tour Dates

  Friday, July 1 to Saturday, October 22 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm

• Ticket Price

  $8.00 per person, ages 3 and up. You MUST physically print your tour ticket at home or download it to your phone to show the ranger before joining the tour. You will NOT be able to join the tour without a valid tour ticket presented. Late arrivals may result in forfeiting your tour. No refunds for late arrivals.

• Tour Capacity

  Tour is limited to 25 people.

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