Balcony House is the second most spectacular cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde available only on a ranger-guided tour. They make a big deal of telling you how much more challenging it is than Cliff Palace, because there are a couple of long ladders to climb, there is an 18" by 12" tunnel to crawl through, and there are some near-vertical... More

Get your tickets ahead of time at the wonderfully new visitor center. If you have only 1 site to visit, Balcony House is it! Ladders to climb, wonderfully preserved rooms, a tunnel to squeeze through and more ladders on the way out. The rangers are the best. A great American treasure!

Mesa Verde wouldn't be Mesa Verde without the Balcony House. Don't be overly concerned about the warnings of strenuous and dangerous terrain and climbs. It's really quite sedate and safe. This is a wonderful experience in the Southwest part of Colorado.

We were a little apprehensive about taking our kids (3&5) on this tour, but were told when buying tickets that if they like to climb at ALL they will be fine. And they were. Climbing all the ladders, crawling through the tunnels, and the final scramble up the rock face was exhilarating for them. When it was over my daughter... More

Balcony House is more for adventure indeed. You shouldn't expect extreme performances though. We had in our group small children (about 6) and also really large people, although there is a tunnel to crawl through. We've been told, that this tunnel is very thigh and about 4 meters long. Actually the in and out of the tunnel is thigh, but... More

What a super fabulous adventure, made even more wonderful by outstanding Ranger Jo! Ladders, tunnels, ancient dwellings, sheer cliff faces - what more could you ask for?!? Yes, you should be relatively fit to attempt this - but our tour included all ages and a pretty good sampling of body types. Our 8- and 10-year old got such a kick... More

The experience was great. The guides were very informative too. I am not afraid of heights but the log latters scared me a little. I didn't look down. It was worth climbing the latters though to see the site. It was a highlight.

This place was awesome! I even enjoyed the long, very hot walk to get there. The scenery is just beautiful and the ruins are fantastic. I'm not used to seeing these kinds of ruins in the States so it was awesome for me. Loved it!

I don't easily give 5 stars, but the Balcony House tour was truly memorable. We had one day at Mesa Verde and this was the highlight. This was our last stop on a tour of Southwestern national parks in 2011 that included the Grand Canyon, Zion, Great Basin, Arches, and here. I can't say that Mesa Verde in general is... More