点评:My son and I went on the Long House Tour at end of August 2026. We spent 2 days at Mesa Verde with our first day on Chapin Mesa (Cliff Palace and Balcony House tours), but saved our second day for Wetherill Mesa. Wetherill Mesa is the quieter side of the park because it's a longer drive there. We stayed at Far View Lodge overnight and from there it is still a 30-40 min drive to the Wetherill Parking lot.
From the lot it is another 15-20 min walk to the tour meeting point. The walk has NO SHADE, so if you're visiting in the summer, try to take an earlier tour. We booked the second tour at 10:30am and by the time the tour ended, it was 12n and the walk back at 90F full sun with no shade was challenging. We had sunshirts, sun hats and plenty of water.
Our ranger guide Nick was AMAZING. So knowledgeable, so friendly, and so funny. Here the tour size is smaller and of longer duration, so you really have the time to soak it in, unlike over at Cliff Palace with 50 ppl and feels more like a conveyor belt. At Long House, for a good part of our tour, it was just the dozen of us in the entire site. Nick did a Q & A format, making us think of questions to ask, and no matter what we asked, he had all the answers.
The composition of the sandstone is different here and the dwellings have a pink hue to them. We also got to see the big plaza (unique at Mesa Verde) and the seep springs, and of course different rooms and many kivas. Highly recommend you take the time to come out to visit, but make sure you read the instructions carefully! We ran into a number of people who showed up too late because they did not realize it is a 15-20 min walk from the parking lot to the meeting point, NOR they realize they were supposed to meet 15 minutes before tour starts!
At the parking lot is a pavilion with a ranger station, and a snack shop that opens 11a-2p. Plenty of picnic tables (shaded!) and also a flush toilet, so pack a picnic lunch and eat there after your tour instead of going back to the crowded Chapin Mesa side.
翻译:2026年8月底,我和儿子一起参加了长屋游览活动。我们在梅萨维德国家公园停留了两天:第一天游览了查平梅萨地区(参加了悬崖宫和阳台屋的游览),第二天则专门去了韦瑟里尔梅萨。由于前往韦瑟里尔梅萨需要更长的车程,因此这一区域相对较为安静。我们在远眺小屋过夜,从那里开车到韦瑟里尔梅萨的停车场仍需30至40分钟。
从停车场出发后,还需步行15到20分钟才能到达游览集合点。这段路程完全没有任何遮阴处。所以,如果您在夏季造访,尽量选择较早时段的游览。我们预订了上午10:30开始的游览项目,等到游览结束时已经是中午12点;在90华氏度的高温下、烈日当头且无一丝阴凉,走回原路真是相当艰难。不过我们带上了防晒衣、遮阳帽以及充足的水。
我们的向导尼克实在太棒了!他学识渊博、热情友善又风趣幽默。这次游览的团队规模较小且时长较长,因此大家真的有足够的时间尽情沉浸其中、细细体验。与克里夫宫的情况不同,那里有50个人,感觉更像是一条传送带。而在长屋遗址,在我们游览的大部分时间里,整个遗址上就只有我们十几个人而已。尼克采用了问答的形式,让我们自己思考该问些什么问题;不管我们问什么,他都能对答如流。
这里的砂岩成分有所不同,因此这些住所呈现出淡淡的粉红色。我们还得以参观到那个大型广场(这在梅萨维德遗址中是独一无二的),以及几处渗水泉眼。当然,这里还有各种不同的房间以及许多基瓦建筑。强烈建议大家抽出时间前来参观,但一定要仔细阅读说明哦!我们遇到了好几位游客,他们来得太晚了——因为他们没意识到从停车场走到集合点需要15到20分钟,也没意识到他们应该在游览开始前15分钟到达集合点!
停车场处有个亭子,里面设有护林员站,还有一个上午11点到下午2点营业的小卖部。这里有很多野餐桌(还有遮阴处!),还配有冲水式厕所。因此,不妨带上野餐午餐,游览结束后就在此处享用,而无需再回到人挤人的查平梅萨一侧。