During the 2012 season at Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado, ranger guided hikes into the Square Tower House site were offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from May 26 to June 16 and from September 4 to October 6. These tours start at 8:00 AM and last about 2 or 2.5 hours. There is a $25 charge and reservations have to be made. Each tour is limited to 10 hikers.
Square Tower House site was occupied from the mid 1100s to the late 1200s. The site contains about 49 rooms and 8 kivas. The eye catching structures are the 28 foot tall Square Tower and the Crow’s Nest high in a crevice.
The Square Tower House alcove isn't as deep as some of the other large sites at Mesa Verde. This might explain the exceptional height of the Square Tower House. The builders were forced to build upwards to add more rooms.
On the left side, there is a rebuilt section against the back of the alcove that was supervised by Jesse Walter Fewkes in 1919 to prepare the site for visitation by the public. Square Tower House was visited by the public in the 1920s and 1930s but has been visible only from the overlook until tours resumed in 2011.
From the right side view it appears that the all but the top floor have entry ways on the front and the right side. It also appears that there were balconies on the right side.
The lowest levels of the Square Tower have some T-shaped doorways. This is the tallest structure in Mesa Verde.
Like many of the large alcove sites at Mesa Verde, the builders incorporated the naturally occurring boulders into the structures.
Our group of 10 spent a total of 2:30 hours visiting Square Tower House on an early September morning. It was comfortably cool 60 F degrees at 8:00 AM and most of the hike is in shade.
Around the corner from Square Tower House is the seldom seen Little Long House. The 2011 and 2012 Square Tower House tours haven’t gone there but probably could.
Little Long House is supposed to have a better source of water than Square Tower House.
(There is another post on Square Tower House that shows more of the overall features. Use the labels Square Tower House Guided Hike to find.)
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