Visitors who view the Mesa Verde from the automobile roads gain but an
inkling of the weird beauty and surprises that this area holds for the
more adventurous. Horseback and hiking trips along the rim rocks and
into the canyons lead to spectacular ruins not seen from any of the
roads. Such great ruins as Spring House, Long House, Kodak House, Jug
House, Mug House, and Step House, as well as all of the ruins in the
more remote canyons, can be reached by trail only. Each turn of the
trail reveals entrancing vistas of rugged canyons, sheer cliffs, great
caves, hidden ruins, distant mountains, tree-covered mesas, and open
glades.
In making these trips it is important that the hiker prepare himself
with proper footwear, as the trails are very precipitous in places.