Colorado – summer 2022 « Nick McIlwain

Tuesday, July 26 (part 2)

The second hike of the day was going to be either Knife Edge or Point Lookout, even though we were both tired. We drove back north from the southern end of the park to the Morefield Campground area, which is relatively close to the Park Entrance. Despite our fatigue, we chose Point Lookout, which has a short but steep climb at its beginning, with lots of switchbacks. It’s about 400 feet up to the top of the mesa, with great views to the north and west, including Cortez and Sleeping Ute Mountain.

It felt good to burn some calories and get my heart racing, and halfway up I got a second wind. At the top we were rewarded with great views and had the WHOLE trail to ourselves. There wasn’t even anyone else parked in the amphitheater lot. In fact, the park itself was pretty quiet, perhaps in part because we were there on a Monday and Tuesday. Mesa Verde really is a fascinating place. I guess it’s a “lesser” national park and certainly not as popular as many of the others, but I’m certainly glad we visited.