Welcome to Colorado, to the town of Cortez, and to our tour of the Mesa Verde National Park, as presented by Insight Guides.My name is Katherine and I’ll be your guide. This is a driving tour that will take about three hours to complete, depending on how much time you wish to spend enjoying the views and the ancient sites. There is an admission fee to enter Mesa Verde National Park of $15 per vehicle, payable on entrance to the park, which is between points 2 and 3. You can stop at any time and start again at the same spot later. You can follow the route on your phone or simply listen as I guide you from one sight to the next. I’ll be giving you clear directions and the audio will automatically start playing when you get close to the next sight on the tour. Don’t worry if you need to skip a sight as the tour will pick up at the next location.Due to the potential lack of GPS signal in the area, it is recommended that you select manual mode in the app's settings before leaving, so that you can trigger the audio manually if it does not start automatically. One more thing before we get started – always be aware of your surroundings, watch for other traffic, and be sure to obey all warning signs.There are several National Parks in Colorado, but Mesa Verde is something special. It's also a UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site, and the largest preserved archaeological area in the United States. Mesa Verde is Spanish for Green Table, and mesas are the flat-topped hills that are so familiar from the old cowboy movies. Unfortunately what we have round here aren't mesas, but I'll explain that later.There are also some beautiful valleys and views, as well as the remains of the homes and temples of the Ancestral Puebloan people, who inhabited this part of the United States many years ago.Ready? Then let's get going, we have a lot to see!