Afternoon: On-site registration in the lodge lobby from 4:30-5:15 PM.

Dinner: Dinner at the Far View Terrace with multiple entree, beverage and dessert choices. Soup or salad is included and vegetarian options are available.

Evening: Hear about the activities planned for the week with an orientation by your coordinator. Then meet your fellow travelers and lifelong learners during introductions.

Lodging: Far View Lodge

Meals Included: Dinner

Introduction to Mesa Verde: An Historical and Archaeological Overview/Field Trip to Mesa Top Loop Archaeological Sites & Spruce Tree House

Breakfast: Breakfast at Far View Terrace with a selection of hot and cold entrees available.

Morning: The morning presentation will introduce you to the geography and pre-history of Mesa Verde, showing and describing how and why the first people came to the Mesa, how they adapted to its unique conditions and environment and how these ancestral Puebloan people fit into the larger economic and social network of the region.Mesa Verde National Park has been declared a World Heritage Site. Some 4,400 sites have been recorded, including villages built on the Mesa top.

Lunch: Lunch at Far View Terrace with multiple choices. Vegetarian options available.

Afternoon: Board the bus for the Mesa Top Loop, which provides a sense of the expanse of Mesa Verde, and tour the Spruce Tree House. Spruce Tree House is the third-largest cliff dwelling on the Mesa, containing about 130 rooms and 8 kivas (Elevation change is 100',1/2 mile RT). Built between AD 1211 and 1278, it was home to about 80 people. Visit the Chapin Mesa Museum and view its dioramas depicting human habitation in the Mesa Verde area from 13,000 BC (before present) to 1200 AD. These five dioramas were painstakingly built by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the mid-1930's.

Dinner: Dinner at the Far View Terrace with multiple entree, beverage and dessert choices. Soup or salad is included and vegetarian options are available.

Evening: Enjoy an evening program in the meeting room presented by a national park ranger or a special speaker/presentation if the National Park Service is not presenting ranger talks at this time of year. Programs will focus on the natural or human history of the Mesa Verde region. A different topic is explored each night. Presentations might be on the Civilian Conservation Corps at Mesa Verde, Nordenskjold at Mesa Verde or other regional topic.

Lodging: Far View Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Navajo Culture and Experience Through an Artist's Eyes/Free Afternoon/Evening Ranger Program

Breakfast: Breakfast at Far View Terrace with a selection of hot and cold entrees available.

Morning: Hear from a Navajo (Dine') artist the story of his family growing up on the reservation, living and surviving in two worlds and his emergence as an artist who honors his family and culture with his detailed and evocative portraiture.

Lunch: Lunch at Far View Terrace with multiple choices. Vegetarian options available.

Afternoon: Enjoy a free afternoon with options for visiting the Chapin Mesa Museum, the Visitors' Center Museum, Anasazi Heritage Center, Mancos/Cortez and lesser-known sites within the Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. Revisit those sites on the Mesa that piqued your interest or relax with the magnificent view of the Four Corners region from your balcony.

Dinner: Using a food voucher, choose your dinner tonight from either the Far View Terrace or Metate Room (extra charges may apply).

Evening: Enjoy an evening program in the meeting room presented by a national park ranger. These programs focus on the natural or human history of the Mesa Verde region. A different topic is explored each night.

Lodging: Far View Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad/Million Dollar Highway/Durango and Trading Post

Breakfast: Grab coffee early! Then enjoy a breakfast to go on the way to Durango.

Morning: Get an early start in time to meet the steam train departure of the Durango and Silverton RR from Durango's train station. The town of Durango was established in 1881 as a railroad center to service the mining town in the region. The narrow gauge railroad climbs along the Animas River, through the pass and down into Silverton, rising more than 3,000 feet above Durango's elevation. Beginning operation in 1882, the railroad was promoted as a scenic route for passenger service although the line was constructed primarily to haul mine ores, both gold and silver, from the San Juan Mountains. It is estimated over $300 million in precious metals has been transported over this route. The locomotives used to pull today’s train remain 100% coal-fired, steam-operated. The locomotives are 1923-1925 vintage and are maintained in original condition. The coaches each feature bathroom facilities and are heated during the winter months for passenger comfort. Open gondola cars provide a panoramic view of the mountains. Concessions are available on every train. During the latter part of the 1960s, the Durango-Silverton was registered as a National Historic Landmark and was awarded as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. This is one of the most spectacular rail journeys in the world.

Lunch: Sumptuous lunch buffet at Natalia's in Silverton.

Afternoon: After lunch, explore the mining village of Silverton, with its Victorian-style buildings and alpine views of the surrounding peaks. Board the bus for the two hour ride on the Million Dollar Highway over Coal Bank Pass (10, 640') and down past the Durango Mountain Resort into Durango. Enjoy a bit of time to explore the hip mountain town of Durango. Time permitting, visit a trading post in town before dinner and hear about the native arts and exquisite Navajo rugs on display.

Dinner: Dinner at the historic Palace Restaurant adjacent to the Durango train station. You'll choose from a selection of entrees which have included grilled salmon, ribs, penne pasta and chicken and dumplings.

Evening: Return to Mesa Verde following dinner.

Lodging: Far View Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at Far View Terrace with a selection of hot and cold entrees available.

Morning: The morning's activities are focused on Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in North America and a site recognized by people around the world for its beauty, well-preserved condition and historical significance. With 150 rooms and 23 kivas as many as 100 people may have inhabited Cliff Palace, which is also thought to have served social, administrative and ceremonial purposes. Visit to Cliff Palace involves climbing five, 8-10ft (2.6-3m) ladders on a 100ft (30m) vertical climb. Total walking distance is about 1/4-mile (400m), round-trip.

Lunch: Enjoy lunch at Spruce Tree Cafe in the heart of Mesa Verde National Park's historical district.

Afternoon: This afternoon, journey to Park Point, the highest point in the park. Learn about the fire history at Mesa Verde -- prescribed fires as well as wild fires -- and their impact on the park's ecosystem and archaeological/historical resources. From this point, look to the horizon in all directions. See Sleeping Ute Mountain and the, often, snow covered peaks of the La Plata Mountains.

Dinner: Dinner in the famed Metate Room of the Far View Lodge with a selection of entree choices and a million dollar view.

Evening: After dinner, an evening of entertainment and celebration with cowboy songs of the West.

Lodging: Far View Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at Far View Terrace with a selection of hot and cold entrees available.

Morning: The morning's presentation will be led by a representative of the National Park Service at Mesa Verde and will encourage discussion about current park issues. Following the presentation, program review and farewells. Program ends at 10:30 PM for 11:00 AM checkout.

Meals Included: Breakfast