Closest airports
| Airport | City | Drive to the park | Straight-line miles | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cortez Municipal Airport (CEZ) | Cortez, CO | 27 min (16 mi) | 10 | Regional |
| Durango La Plata County Airport (DRO) | Durango, CO | 1 h 20 min (51 mi) | 39 | Regional |
| Telluride Regional Airport (TEX) | Telluride, CO | 3 h 50 min (155 mi) | 58 | Regional |
| Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) | Albuquerque, NM | 5 h 10 min (254 mi) | 184 | Large hub |
Drive times run from the airport to Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center, estimated with OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap roads at normal speeds; allow extra for traffic, stops and construction.
Regional airports have fewer flights, so compare fares with the larger hub.
Directions from the park service
Mesa Verde National Park is in Southwest Colorado. The park entrance and the Visitor and Research Center are located ten miles east of Cortez, nine miles west of Mancos, and about 35 miles west of Durango, Colorado along Hwy 160. Mesa top ancestral sites, Cliff dwellings, tours, and the Mesa Verde Museum are 20 to 21 miles (approximately 45 minutes) south along the park road which which is steep, narrow, and winding.
Hours
Open 24 hours, every day. The park is open daily except for emergency conditions. Ancestral sites, picnic areas, and trails are open 8 am to sunset. Some park areas including Wetherill Mesa, campground, and other visitor services are closed during winter. Cliff dwelling tours are mid-May through late October. Reservations are required and available 14 days in advance of tour date online at www.recreation.gov.
Visitor centers
- Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center: Daily, 8:30AM - 4:00PM. Open daily 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, year-round except closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.
- Mesa Verde Museum: Daily, 8:30AM - 4:30PM. The Mesa Verde Museum is one of the oldest in the National Park Service. Constructed between 1922-25, it replaced a log cabin that had exhibited cultural objects since 1917. The Museum is built of Cliff House Sandstone, the same stone used by the Ancestral Pueblo people to construct nearby Spruce Tree House and other cliff dwellings, in an architectural style known as Modified Pueblo Revival, which was inspired by the architecture of Mesa Verde's descendant communities.
Last gas, groceries and EV charging
Places mapped in OpenStreetMap within 19 miles (straight line) of Mesa Verde Museum and Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center. Fill up before you head deep into the park: most parks have little or no fuel inside.
Gas stations (17 within reach)
| Place | Where | Miles | Fuel extras and hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinclair | See map | 0.4 | |
| Sinclair | See map | 2.7 | Open 24 hours |
| Gas station (unnamed) | See map | 8.1 | |
| Gas station (unnamed) | See map | 8.1 |
Grocery stores and supermarkets (3 within reach)
| Place | Where | Miles | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| P&D Grocery | 280 East Frontage Road, Mancos | 6.7 | Mon to Fri 7 am to 8 pm, Sat 6 am to 8 pm, Sun 7 am to 8 pm |
| Walmart Supercenter | 1835 East Main Street, Cortez | 8.5 | Daily 6 am to 11 pm |
| Safeway | 1580 East Main Street, Cortez | 8.7 | Daily 6 am to 10 pm |
EV charging (2 within reach)
| Place | Where | Miles | Plugs and spaces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mancos Wayside Park EV Charger | See map | 6.6 | |
| Tesla Supercharger | 1510 East Main Street, Cortez | 8.7 | Tesla (NACS), CCS, 8 spaces · Open 24 hours |
Opening hours and fuel types are what local mappers have recorded, so call ahead in winter or off season. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License.
Getting around
Most parks are best seen by car. Fill up before you enter, since gas inside parks is limited or absent. Parking at popular trailheads fills early in summer.
Sources
- National Park Service Data API: directions, hours and visitor centers (public domain)
- OurAirports: airport list and locations (public domain)
- OSRM drive-time estimates on OpenStreetMap road data (ODbL)
- OpenStreetMap: gas stations, grocery stores and EV chargers (ODbL)
Last checked 1 November 2026.