Last updated on .
The Far View sites were a community of farming villages at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many visitors to the park overlook Far View in favor of the more popular cliff dwellings, but it’s well worth taking the time to see all of the structures there.
History
The Far View area was populated by Ancestral Puebloans from 800 to 1300. The structures at the site were built at least 200 years before the famous cliff dwellings at the park. They’re similar to the structures found at Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico.
About 50 villages have been identified within a ½ square mile area, and the Far View sites were excavated from 1916 to 1922. A short ¾ mile loop trail takes visitors to a handful of the excavated and stabilized sites.
Far View House
The first site on the loop and next to the parking lot is Far View House. It was built as early as 1018 and contains 30 to 40 rectangular rooms surrounding a large kiva. Three smaller kivas were added later.
Pipe Shrine House
Pipe Shrine House sits nearby. It’s a much smaller structure than Far View House, built in the 11th century and expanded throughout the 13th century.
Coyote Village
Moving clockwise around the trail is Coyote Village. An interpretive panel at the site indicates it was built, occupied, abandoned, rebuilt, and reoccupied several times starting around 975.
Coyote Village was once two stories high but now consists of only 30 ground floor rooms. There are also five kivas and a watchtower. Three of the kivas and the tower are connected by tunnels.
Far View Reservoir
Next is the Far View Reservoir. It was built in at least two phases starting in 900, but wasn’t recognized as a reservoir until 1891. The reservoir was built by hollowing out a large area and building stone embankments around it.
Megalithic House
A spur trail past the reservoir takes you to Megalithic House, which is under a protective structure. It was a small collection of rooms surrounding a kiva that was probably home to one large family. Only about half of the house is visible, with the rest unexcavated or backfilled.
Far View Tower
The final structure on the loop is the Far View Tower, which was built around 1200. It’s a two story tower surrounded by about 15 rooms. Two small kivas are detached from the structure.
