Concerns about the stability of the rock alcove under which Spruce Tree House is located at Mesa Verde National Park have led to a temporary closure of the cliff dwelling/Rebecca Latson

Concerns about the stability of the rock alcove under which Spruce Tree House is located in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado have led to a temporary closure of the cliff dwelling to visitors.

Part of the site actually was closed earlier this summer when there was a rockfall from the alcove, Superintendent Clifford Spencer said Tuesday.

"We had an engineer come in, perform an assessment, and what he found was the cracks are more extensive than previously known," the superintendent said during a phone call. “So out of an abundance of caution we closed the entire site.” 

A team of geologists is scheduled to visit the park, rappel off the top of the alcove, and "take some measurements, do some rock scaling, take some more high-resolution photographs, and supply it to the engineer, and he’ll give us a better assessment of what the next steps are to correcting it," Superintendent Spencer added.

Beginning November 1, park rangers will offer three free ranger talks daily from site overlooks. These talks are scheduled for 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. and will cover Spruce Tree House architecture, history, and current archeological and geological concerns.

At this time there is no scheduled reopening date for Spruce Tree House. The Petroglyph Trail and Spruce Canyon Trail are available to hike, but individuals wishing to hike these trails should stop at the park museum or chief ranger’s office for current conditions and trail access information.