A piece published by a travel publication called Islands pinned Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park as one of the most underrated national parks in the country – and their reporter is right. While often skipped among those traveling around the state, it’s totally worth the visit.

In 2024, 480,065 people visited Mesa Verde National Park, according to National Park Service statistics. This was a drop of 25,129 guests compared to the previous year and the lowest attendance at the park since 2013. Even with the recent drop in visitation, Mesa Verde ranks as the second-busiest of Colorado’s four national parks, behind Rocky Mountain National Park and its 4,154,349 guests in 2024 and ahead of Great Sand Dunes’ 437,661 guests and Black Canyon of the Gunnison’s 335,864.

Mesa Verde’s remote southwestern Colorado location tends to result in it getting overlooked by those residing on the heavily-populated Front Range despite its splendor and archaeological significance – after all, it’s a six-and-a-half hour drive from Denver. That said, a trip to Mesa Verde National Park is worth adding to any Colorado bucket list.

For starters, Mesa Verde is home to some of the best preserved cliff dwellings of those inhabiting North America more than 1,000 years ago and on top of that, the park is filled with 1,000s of individual archaeological sites created by the Ancestral Puebloans.

And don’t worry about having to interpret the cliff dwelling sites yourself – rangers lead educational tours from mid-May to late-October making it easy to fully understand and appreciate the historic features.

On top of being a world-class archaeological site, there’s also plenty of outdoor recreation to be found at the park, with ample hiking, camping, and stargazing opportunities.

If you’re looking to visit Mesa Verde National Park this summer, learn more about planning a trip to this epic destination here.

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