Dolores is located in the southwest corner of Colorado and is at an elevation of about 6,900 feet. Within an hours drive to the east is Telluride and Durango, Colorado. To the west is Utah. Within a 30 minute drive of Dolores is Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, and Hovenweep National Monument. We last visited southwestern Colorado about 2 years ago in the spring. The area is rich in Indian ruins and numerous sites of the Anasazi.
Dolores, Colorado
Even though Dolores has a population of less than 2,000, the area has been a site of human habitation since at least 2500 B.C. Between 900 and 1300 A.D., it is estimated that over 10,000 people lived in the area.
The Views RV Park, Dolores, Colorado
They had full service and good internet. Our site was huge and private. Our closest neighbor was too far away to be heard and barely seen because of the trees.
Each evening there were amazing sunsets.
Jake enjoyed the one mile hike around the property looking for deer.
Sutcliffe Vineyards, McElmo Canyon, Colorado
The vineyard is in a beautiful area near Cortez, Colorado.
They grow their own grapes, have a number of varietals and produce surprisingly good wines for the region.
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt and protects some of the best Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites.
There are more than 600 cliff dwellings and over 5,000 sites to see. There is evidence that there were inhabitants in the area as early as 7500 B.C.
After 650 A.D. the first fixed location pueblos appeared. Rock shelters were built around the mesa. They survived by farming beans, corn, squash and used hunting and gathering techniques.
The Mesa Verdeans eventually constructed their amazing cliff dwellings. However, by 1300 A.D. they left, probably because of drought and social instability.
We enjoyed a local beer and lunch in the National Park.
