For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, the park protects the rich cultural heritage of 27 Pueblos and Tribes and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past. This World Heritage Site and International Dark Sky Park is home to over a thousand species, including several that live nowhere else on earth.
To take advantage of favorable weather conditions, fire managers are planning to conduct a pile burn in Mesa Verde National Park on February 17 – February 19, 2026.
Fire managers are planning to conduct a pile burn in Mesa Verde National Park in February or March. The timing is dependent on the area receiving adequate snowfall prior to ignition.