Even though Square House Tower is off limits to up-close visits, I still think this is a “must see” destination in Mesa Verde National Park!  The short 500 ft walk on a paved path is great for anyone including folks who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility.

The path will make a half circle and then you will arrive at the overlook. 

These cliff dwellings are probably some of my favorite in Mesa Verde!  Why?  I just really like the architecture and location.  The square tower is the centerpiece to these fantastic dwellings.  It’s a four story tower embedded right into the rock crack.  You can see that the builders were meticulous in their brick placement as the building follows the curvature of the rock.

When these dwellings were discovered in 1888 they were crumbling and falling apart.  Park preservationists spent an extreme amount of effort to rebuild and stabilize the tower and buildings.  I think they did an incredible job!

Eight kivas and other dwellings can also be seen.

You may be wondering how archaeologists get down there?  Well, just a little to the south is a ladder.  It’s of course off limits but it makes me want to go down there and explore!