In the high desert landscape that preserves Ancient Pueblo and tribal cliff dwellings and mesa top sites, Mesa Verde National Park expects to host a large concentration of people this weekend as slivers of the Four Corner states line up with the annular solar eclipse’s direct path.
The rare “ring of fire” – when the moon covers the sun to its fullest and leaves the sun’s outer rim in view – is forecast to occur in this region at 10:31 a.m., for more than three minutes. Although the maximum annularity will be just for a few minutes, the partial eclipse begins at 9:11 a.m. and will end at 12:04 p.m. at all locations.
It will paint a ribbon of 130 miles that will briefly dim the skies as it begins in the North Pacific and concludes over the Atlantic, touching slivers of the Western United States (from Oregon to Texas), Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Brazil.
Events at Mesa Verde NP will be held at three of the park’s viewing locations where NASA scientists and NPS Rangers will provide educational sessions about the eclipse:
- Chapin Mesa Museum, which is mostly ADA accessible.
- Far View Parking Lot, which is fully ADA accessible.
- Morfield Campground Amphitheater, which is fully ADA accessible.
Other places visitors are permitted to park at but do not have events include:
- Cliff Palace parking lot.
- Balcony House Parking lot.
- Visitor and Research Center.
An annular solar eclipse is never safe to view without certified special eclipse glasses to protect the eyes and special solar filters to protect cameras, cellphones, binoculars and telescopes that mount on lenses.
Mesa Verde NP entry fees still apply and the park will give free eclipse glasses at the Visitor and Research Center, Park Entrance Station and event locations on Saturday morning for as long as they last.
