ROADS TO ROAM
by
Jack Vandermayer

There is no other national park or vacation spot in the Southwest that offers more variety and interest to the horseman than Mesa Verde. Horseback trails wind over a large part of the mesa rim and through most of the major canyons, offering both short and long rides in practically any direction one wishes to go.

Perhaps one of the most interesting trails for a half-day trip is the ride to Spring house. You switch-back down from camp over a fine trail that leads thru Spruce Tree Canyon into Spruce, and follows south to the junction of Spruce, Navajo and Wickiup Canyons. Here you circle back and wind up the west slope of Wickiup Canyon. There are several interesting cliff-dwellings en route, notable among them, Buzzard's Roost, a dwelling set high in the east wall of Wickiup. Once on top the canyon rim, a brief lope across the summit thru dense floral and pine foliage brings you to your destination.

Spring House is built up in a large cave overlooking Long Canyon. The major portion of the ruin is in the north end of the lower section, the perhaps more interesting than most ruins in the park is the upper ledge of rooms reached by ladder. They are in excellent condition, being naturally sheltered from the elements, and represent a high standard of masonry thruout. Spring House has added interest in having many of the material artifacts left in their rooms for inspection. Manos, metates, decorated and corrugated potsherds are strewn about, and offer a real thrill to the visitor who usually sees them only in museum show-cases. There are also numerous dried corn cobs, incised pictographs on the stones, and in one kiva, several beautifully painted rocks.

While at Spring house there are two other features of almost equal interest. One is the Natural Bridge, almost directly below the ruin. It is a large, beautifully colored sandstone span near the bottom of Long Canyon. From an examination of the bridge you get an interesting geological story. The bridge is of the same cretaceous sandstone as the canyon rimrocks. It was undoubtedly formed by a force of water striking against and wearing through the central section. This erosive action which takes thousands of years, has here created a thing uncommon, no one should miss seeing it.

Just south of Spring House is another ruin designated as No. 19. Though somewhat smaller than its neighbor, it is equally interesting, with its two stories of construction and many artifacts and potsherds left in their original locations.

This is just one trip, and short one at that. For the horseman who wants to spend a few days getting acquainted with Mesa Verde, there is a fine pack-trip to Horse-Springs. This trip usually takes about four days, and includes side trips to many remote cliff-dwellings en route. If one wishes, he can ride further east into Ute Canyon, the westernmost of the mesa.

Other interesting short rides can be made to the Painted Kiva, Far View House, Echo House, Poole Canyon Ruins; and longer trips down to the Mancos River Canyon where the cliff walls are decorated with hundreds of pictographs.