Laserfiche WebLink
<br />OGH22 <br /> <br />SUMMARY OF THE <br />PRELIMINARY WILDERNESS PROPOSAL <br /> <br />LOCATION <br /> <br />Mesa Verde National Park is located in Montezuma County, 36 <br />miles west of Durango and southwest of Cortez. Here, the rugged <br />canyon and mesa country of southwestern Colorado forms the <br />backdrop for an outstanding concentration of prehistoric Pueblo <br />Indian ruins. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />SURROUNDINGS <br /> <br />The park is bounded by the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation on <br />the south, and by San Juan National Forest on the north. The <br />remainder of the bordering lands are ranches and farms. <br /> <br />Neighboring units of the National Park System are Hovenweep and <br />Yucca House National Monuments to the west, and Aztec Ruins <br />and Chaco Canyon National Monuments to the southwest. To the <br />northwest lies Canyonlands National Park, containing sites and <br />ruins similar to Mesa Verde. Nearby Arches and Natural Bridges <br />National Monuments, both natural areas. are of considerable <br />geological importance, as well as possessing great scenic appeal, as <br />does Canyon de Chelly National Monument, a nearby historical <br />area. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is an extensive <br />water-use area situated 150 miles west. <br /> <br />11 <br />