Visitation in 2025 at Mesa Verde National Park was down about 3.4 percent from the year before, but special events may bring more people this season.
Mesa Verde Superintendent Kayci Cook Collins told the Montezuma County commissioners at their workshop on Monday that visitation has been in decline for the past four years and she isn’t sure why.
She said only about 13,000 people came to the park in January and February of this year, a decline of about 6 percent from the same period in 2025.
She said the fall-off last year was probably in part because of the federal budget shutdown that lasted from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12. The park’s main road was open then, but many facilities were closed.
“We lost a lot of visitation that would have happened in October,” she said.
The number of international visitors also dropped last year, Cook Collins said. “I think a number of factors were at play,” she said.
“We’ve had about four years of declining visitation,” she said, adding that she is “not sure what’s going on there.”
“Maybe everybody’s going to play on the other public lands,” she said.
But things may be looking up. This year marks the 120th anniversary of the park’s designation, the 150th anniversary of the state of Colorado, and the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Cook Collins said the U.S. Navy band is visiting national parks that have ships named for them, so in honor of the USS Mesa Verde, the Navy band will be at the park on April 23 and might give a concert in Cortez.
There will also be special events celebrating the park’s anniversary, with details being worked out. One, a special evening program, will take place on June 29, the actual anniversary date for the park, and will be at Morefield Campground.
Cook Collins said seasonal staffing is “looking good” and the park could have a normal year. Cliff Palace and Balcony House tours will begin May 4. Wetherill Mesa will be open seven days a week this summer, after being open only five days a week last year.
The park’s popular night-sky programs are going to continue, she said.
The park will be undertaking several projects this year, including replacing overlook barriers, improving roads and parking lots, and continuing to do preservation work at Spruce Tree House, she said.
