About
Length (round trip)0.5 mi
ShapeOut-and-Back
DifficultyEasy
Elevation gain100 ft up
Typical time15 min
TrailheadChapin Mesa Archeological Museum
SurfacePaved switchback path
Best seasonLate May to October for the cliff dwelling tours. Wetherill Mesa is open summer only; the main road stays open all year.
DogsNot allowed
What you'll see 🌄 Big views🏛️ Historic site

Spruce Tree House, the third largest cliff dwelling in the park (only Cliff Palace and Long House are larger), was constructed in the 1200s by ancestors of the Pueblo peoples of the Southwest. As the best-preserved cliff dwelling, much of the wood, walls, and plaster that you see from the overlook is original material. By the late 1270s, up to 19 households (60 to 80 people) lived here. Tucked into the cliff above are ten storage rooms for storing surplus corn, beans, squash and wild plants. The storage rooms, called granaries, were reached using ladders and pecked hand-and-toe hold trails. The doors were sealed with stone slabs to deter rodents and to keep supplies dry. Spruce Tree House is currently closed due to danger of rock fall, but you can view the site from two overlooks near the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. Please stay on the trail and avoid cliff edges. By the Numbers Rooms: 131 rooms (including surrounding granaries), 8 kivas Age: 1200 - 1280 CE Estimated Population: 60-80 people Alcove Dimensions: 216 ft. W x 30 ft. H. x 89 ft. D

Tips
Spruce Tree House itself has been closed to entry since 2015 because of rockfall from the alcove arch, but the overlook gives a full view. About 90 percent of what you see is original construction.
Location

Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum

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