Hike the Soda Canyon Overlook Trail

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Save Add Photo

Add Photo

Save Review Directions Add Photo

Details

Distance

1.3 miles

Elevation Gain

95 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

This is a new adventure! Be the first to share your experience.

Join a supporting community of travelers and adventurers sharing their photos and local insights.

Added by The Outbound Collective

Family friendly hike with views of Soda Canyon and Balcony House.

The Soda Canyon Overlook Trail is a relatively popular hike perfect for viewing Soda Canyon and Balcony House. This hike is perfect for families and people of all skill levels. Soda Canyon Overlook Trail is a 1.3 mile hike in Mesa Verde National Park.

The trailhead is clearly marked, and is about 1/4 miles past the Balcony House parking lot. The trail is best used from April to October, and features a river.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Chillin

Photography

Hiking

Bathrooms

Easy Parking

Family Friendly

Groups

River

Scenic

Wildflowers

Wildlife

Hike the Soda Canyon Overlook Trail Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Hike the Cliff Palace Loop Trail

Tickets for this tour are $4 per person and are available at the visitor center near the entrance of the park. This tour is best taken from April to November. This hike features The milky way is often visible from the top of Mesa Verde at night. This one-hour, ranger-guided tour involves climbing five, 8-10ft ladders, on a 100ft vertical climb. Total walking distance is 1/4-mile round-trip.

Explore Mesa Top Loop

The 6-mile Mesa Top Loop Road, open 8 am to sunset, stops at 12 sites including surface ruins and cliff dwelling overlooks. The most famous feature of the park, Cliff Palace, is visible from the Sun Point and Sun Temple overlooks. Sunrise photography isn't possible on the loop due to operating hours, but stunning sunsets can be captured from the cliff trails before the road closes.

Explore Balcony House

Starting at the trail head at 7,000 feet, you will head down the trail until you get to the cliff dwellings. There will be a wooden ladder you will have to climb, a recreation of the ladder used hundreds of years ago by the tribes living there. Once you get to the top of the ladder, the trail will continue under the cliff and through the once used living area. You will then hit the tunnel where...

Hike the Petroglyph Point Trail

Hike the Spruce Canyon Trail

The Spruce Canyon trail is very well taken care of. The trail begin with a descent into Spruce Tree Canyon and then follows a stream for 3/4 of a mile before climbing a side canyon back up to the ridge. The trailhead is located on the Chapin Mesa within Mesa Verde National Park. The trail is open for use year round.

Hike to Long House and Step House at Mesa Verde National Park

This is a great opportunity to see two historic cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park within a relatively short period of time. Schedule your day around getting tickets to Long House, then taking a bit of a side trek to the Step House when you have the time. The tour begins at the Weatherhill Mesa information kiosk, and is a two hour ranger-guided excursion. You will learn all about the h...