Ute Mountain Tribal Park Views

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Hiking into the secretive backcountry of the Ute Mountain Tribal Park—with a knowledgeable Ute guide interpreting Ancestral Puebloan and Ute sites along the way—you’ll learn about the rich history of Southwestern Colorado’s land and people. This park is only open to the public through a unique program in which Ute guides navigate visitors into the wilderness that abuts Mesa Verde National Park’s southern boundary.

Ute Mountain Tribal Park is an area set aside by the Ute Mountain Utes d— one of the seven original Ute bands that inhabited Colorado — to preserve Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) architecture. Today, the remote, little-known park receives recognition from organizations worldwide. National Geographic Traveler has selected Ute Mountain as one of the 80 world destinations for Travel Adventure in the 21st Century.

At the park, visitors must be accompanied by a Ute guide on tours; no self-guided tours are allowed on the tribal land. Ute guides interpret Ancestral Puebloan dwellings and rock art, as well as Ute Indian history and geologic land formations on either half- or full-day trips. Visitors will find myriad pictographs, petroglyphs and artifacts.

Cortez offers many affordable lodging options for the independent traveler: motels, bed and breakfast inns, campgrounds and RV parks. Camping is permitted at Ute Mountain Tribal Parkl’s primitive campground; cabins are also available. Cortez visitors will find authentic southwestern American cuisine as well as local wineries and microbreweries.