Point Lookout Trail

The Point Lookout Trail is one of three hiking trails that leave from the Morefield Campground area near the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado. These trails give good views of the Montezuma and Mancos Valleys and the north rim of Mesa Verde itself.  

The Point Lookout Trail leaves from the large amphitheater parking lot and climbs 400 feet and allows views to both valleys. The round trip distance is 2.2 miles and the forest is Pinon Pine and Utah Juniper with a lot of Gambel Oak and a few Rocky Mountain Junipers.

The nearby Knife Edge Trail includes a trail guide that provides extensive information on the native plants that grow in Mesa Verde. The first part of the trail has all the climbing with many switchbacks through relatively lush forest.

The view to the east is toward the LaPlata Mountains and the town of Mancos, CO. The highest mountain in that group is Mt. Hesperus, the sacred mountain of the north that marks one of the boundaries of traditional Navajo territory. The trails of the Morefield campground provide some good hiking but are probably mostly skipped in favor of the famous ruins sites.

From the lookout point, the view to the west is toward Sleeping Ute Mountain and the town of Cortez, CO. The route of the Knife Edge Trail is visible just below the sandstone rim. It was the old road into Mesa Verde until 1957. Further west is the Hovenweep and Canyons of the Ancients area, rich with ruins sites.

Looking straight north from the sandstone cliff you can watch the park visitors wind their way up the twisty highway into the park. The Point Lookout looms overhead for those drivers, but they are probably keeping their eyes on the road. The eroded brown hills are the Mancos layer made up of soft clays and shales.

Near the lookout point, the trail passes through a mysterious circle of stones. There is no information that this is a ruins site, perhaps it was built by more recent visitors. It is positioned in a spot where it would be a good signaling point.

After visiting the circular tower structures at Mesa Verde and other sites in the region, many appear to be positioned at places with a line of site to other similar structures. Point Lookout has a line of site view to Park Point, the highest point at Mesa Verde, and a place that may have a line of sight as far as the Chaco Canyon area, as well as the valley below. It took me 0:40 minutes to climb to the lookout point and my hike took 1:20 hours total.