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<br />00J123 <br /> <br />Most of Mesa Verde's annual 450,000 visitors come from the Four <br />Corners area, and the large metropolitan centers of Colorado <br />Springs and Denver, primarily during the summer. <br /> <br />RESOURCES <br /> <br />Mesa Verde National Park is the outstanding archeological area of <br />the National Park System. Its primary resource comprises the relics <br />of the prehistoric Pueblo Indians, who constructed their pueblos <br />on the mesa tops and in caves in the steep-sided canyons incised <br />into the Mesa Verde Plateau. In the central part of the park, these <br />archeological sites average 100 per square mile. The geqlogy, <br />vegetation, and wildlife are natural resources of the park that <br />contribute to the visitor's understanding of the Pueblo Indian <br />life-style. <br /> <br />VISITOR-USE FACILITIES <br /> <br />A full complement of concessioner facilities is available, such as <br />motel, food service, washing and drying machines, store, and <br />horseback trips. The National Park Service provides guided ruins <br />tours. visitor center orientation, and campground facilities. The <br />Morfield Canyon Campground boasts close to 500 sites equipped <br />with modern facilities. <br /> <br />The park is open all year, but the main travel season is from June 1 to <br />September 15. Visitor services are cut back after September 15. <br /> <br />DESCRIPTION OF ROADLESS AREAS STUDIED <br /> <br />Five roadless areas totaling 42,900 acres were studied for their <br />suitability as wilderness. These road less areas consist of several <br />deep canyons and intervening mesas. These canyons and mesas <br />contain thousands of archeological sites. Since the park is <br />essentially a concentration of relics of prehistoric man, with a basic <br />purpose, use, and management different from those of wilderness <br />lands, the report resulting from the study proposed that none of <br />the road less areas studied was suitable for wilderness designation. <br /> <br />12 <br />