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Balcony House

Mesa Verde National Park, CO
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Type: Ancient Ruins, Historic Sites
Activities: Group tours/walking tour
42 visitor photos
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108 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    87
    17
    3
    1
    0
Date Rating
Boston, Massachusetts
Top Contributor
65 reviews 65 reviews
20 attraction reviews
Reviews in 28 cities Reviews in 28 cities
15 helpful votes 15 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 May 2013 NEW

Balcony House is the second most spectacular cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde available only on a ranger-guided tour. They make a big deal of telling you how much more challenging it is than Cliff Palace, because there are a couple of long ladders to climb, there is an 18" by 12" tunnel to crawl through, and there are some near-vertical... More

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See 4 more reviews by piotzar for Mesa Verde National Park
Corrales, New Mexico
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 18 cities Reviews in 18 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 May 2013 NEW

Get your tickets ahead of time at the wonderfully new visitor center. If you have only 1 site to visit, Balcony House is it! Ladders to climb, wonderfully preserved rooms, a tunnel to squeeze through and more ladders on the way out. The rangers are the best. A great American treasure!

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Cincinnati Ohio
Top Contributor
55 reviews 55 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 29 cities Reviews in 29 cities
26 helpful votes 26 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 May 2013 NEW

Mesa Verde wouldn't be Mesa Verde without the Balcony House. Don't be overly concerned about the warnings of strenuous and dangerous terrain and climbs. It's really quite sedate and safe. This is a wonderful experience in the Southwest part of Colorado.

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See 3 more reviews by NKyAdventurer for Mesa Verde National Park
Boulder, Colorado
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 2013

We were a little apprehensive about taking our kids (3&5) on this tour, but were told when buying tickets that if they like to climb at ALL they will be fine. And they were. Climbing all the ladders, crawling through the tunnels, and the final scramble up the rock face was exhilarating for them. When it was over my daughter... More

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Munich, Germany
Top Contributor
55 reviews 55 reviews
14 attraction reviews
Reviews in 35 cities Reviews in 35 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 May 2013

Balcony House is more for adventure indeed. You shouldn't expect extreme performances though. We had in our group small children (about 6) and also really large people, although there is a tunnel to crawl through. We've been told, that this tunnel is very thigh and about 4 meters long. Actually the in and out of the tunnel is thigh, but... More

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Phoenix AZ
Top Contributor
94 reviews 94 reviews
21 attraction reviews
Reviews in 55 cities Reviews in 55 cities
159 helpful votes 159 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 May 2013

What a super fabulous adventure, made even more wonderful by outstanding Ranger Jo! Ladders, tunnels, ancient dwellings, sheer cliff faces - what more could you ask for?!? Yes, you should be relatively fit to attempt this - but our tour included all ages and a pretty good sampling of body types. Our 8- and 10-year old got such a kick... More

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Southern California
Top Contributor
83 reviews 83 reviews
43 attraction reviews
Reviews in 30 cities Reviews in 30 cities
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 January 2013

The experience was great. The guides were very informative too. I am not afraid of heights but the log latters scared me a little. I didn't look down. It was worth climbing the latters though to see the site. It was a highlight.

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Toronto
Senior Contributor
30 reviews 30 reviews
21 attraction reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
25 helpful votes 25 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 December 2012

This place was awesome! I even enjoyed the long, very hot walk to get there. The scenery is just beautiful and the ruins are fantastic. I'm not used to seeing these kinds of ruins in the States so it was awesome for me. Loved it!

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Keller
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 December 2012

I don't easily give 5 stars, but the Balcony House tour was truly memorable. We had one day at Mesa Verde and this was the highlight. This was our last stop on a tour of Southwestern national parks in 2011 that included the Grand Canyon, Zion, Great Basin, Arches, and here. I can't say that Mesa Verde in general is... More

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Murrysville, Pennsylvania
Senior Contributor
28 reviews 28 reviews
15 attraction reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 November 2012

Even though I have a fear of heights, I took this tour. SO glad I did. The beauty of this scared place is beyond compare. Or guide was knowledgeable,and shared both the history and the religious/historical significance of these wondrous caves. UP the 30 foot ladder was an experience that was mind blowing for me. I made it with encouragement... More

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