Before much at Mesa Verde National Park opened, I hiked Prater Ridge. The weather was dicey looking but I dodged any rain that fell. It was remarkably peaceful having they entire day to myself!
As far as I can find, Prater was an early homesteader in the area. This trail, named after him, starts from the giant campground inside the park but since that wasn’t open yet, I had the place to myself. I did the north part of the ridge but you could add on the south if you wanted more miles. Or, if you want less miles you could only do the the south loop. My total hike was 5.6 miles.
What I like about this hike is you get the climb out of the way with at the beginning with switchbacks up as you can see in one of the pictures below. The hike itself isn’t hard, but the elevation will get you if you aren’t used to it. Most of this hike takes place above 8000′. Once up on the ridge, you loop around and get great views of Montezuma Valley, Ute Mountain, and the San Juans. I stopped several times to gaze in awe at the rocky cliffs and topography.
I’ll do this hike again when everything greens up but I doubt I’ll have it to myself.
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