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Sun Temple, Mesa Verde National Park, CO

Photo: Rationalobserver, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sightseeing

Sun Temple

A large D-shaped stone structure on Mesa Top in Mesa Verde National Park, thought to have served ceremonial purposes.

On Mesa Top Loop Road, Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330 · Mesa Verde National Park, CO

About Sun Temple

Sun Temple sits on Mesa Top Loop Road in Mesa Verde National Park. Modern Pueblo peoples regard its features as those of a ceremonial building. Archaeologists found no household goods or roof beams, so some think the symmetrical, D-shaped building was never finished, though its size reflects heavy labor. Builders shaped the stones of its fine masonry walls and gave them a dimpled surface. Visitors can explore on a self-guided basis but must stay off the fragile walls. A worn stone basin with three small hollows at the southwest corner may have marked the seasons as a sundial.

  • #ancient puebloan
  • #ceremonial structure
  • #self-guided
  • #archaeological site
  • #mesa top

What's around here?

The closest stops to Sun Temple, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Cliff Palace

    $25–$50

    Climb ladders with a ranger into a sandstone cliff dwelling built by Ancestral Puebloans around 1200.

    Steps awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing

    Cedar Tree Tower

    No admission fee

    A mesa-top stone tower site on Chapin Mesa, linked to the Farming Terrace Trail.

    2.4 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing

    Far View Sites Complex

    No admission fee

    Mesa-top archaeological sites in Mesa Verde National Park, reached by a short walking trail.

    5.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Mesa Verde National Park

    Under $25

    A national park in southwestern Colorado protecting well-preserved cliff dwellings built by Ancestral Pueblo people.

    6.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors

  • Shopping
    Local Gem

    Books

    No admission fee

    A small independent bookstore in downtown Cortez selling new and used titles.

    14 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Mesa Verde Stables

    $50+

    A working ranch near Mesa Verde offering guided horseback rides through mountains, meadows and Ute Tribal Park.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    16 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

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