COSights
A bright pink historic wooden house with white shutters and a wraparound balcony stands on a sunny street, with palm trees and a clear blue sky behind it. The low morning light casts long shadows across the pavement and highlights the weathered siding and porch details.

Balcony House

Mancos, CO

Balcony House is one of the most dramatic cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park, accessible only by climbing a 32-foot ladder and crawling through a narrow tunnel. The site contains about 40 rooms and two kivas tucked into a south-facing alcove on the cliff face. The approach provides striking views down Soda Canyon.

Photography Guide

Best Time
morning
Crowds
Moderate
Shot Types
widedetaillandscape
Best Seasons
springsummerfall
Practical Tips
Tour tickets must be purchased in advance and the route is physically demanding with ladders and a crawl-through tunnel. Photography from the balcony area provides the best compositions of the dwelling against the canyon.

Is it a good day to go?

7-day outlook

Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.

Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.

Author's Comments

The first time I went up the ladder I was thinking about my camera and not about the canyon, and that was a mistake. The thirty-two feet of ascent is the whole point of the approach. You come up out of Soda Canyon and into the alcove the way the people who built this place came up, and the canyon falls away behind you in a long south-facing sweep that catches morning light better than almost anywhere else in the park. I prefer late spring for Balcony House. The cottonwoods at the canyon bottom are still pale green, the air is cleaner than it will be in August, and the alcove itself stays cool well past breakfast. Morning is the only time worth photographing here. The sandstone above the dwelling glows for maybe an hour after sunrise, warm and almost orange, and the rooms below sit in deep shadow that holds detail if you expose patiently. Wait for that contrast. It is the photograph. The wide shot from the balcony itself is the obvious composition and worth making, but I have come to prefer the detail work - the way mortar lines run across the masonry, the small T-shaped doorways, the particular weathering on the timber that has been there for eight centuries. A medium telephoto handles this better than the wide lens most people bring. Tickets sell out. Book ahead. And know that the crawl-through tunnel on the exit is not a place for a camera around your neck. I pack mine away for that section every time, and every time I am glad I did.

Gallery

A bright pink historic wooden house with white shutters and a wraparound balcony stands on a sunny street, with palm trees and a clear blue sky behind it. The low morning light casts long shadows across the pavement and highlights the weathered siding and porch details. Photo: Bluerasberry / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0
Stone rooms and low walls of Balcony House are tucked beneath a huge sandstone overhang, with dark doorways, wooden support beams, and a curved masonry ledge in the foreground. Morning light warms the tan cliff face while the alcove opens to a narrow view of the canyon edge at right. Photo: Ken Lund from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
A large white two-story house with a broad covered porch sits behind leafy trees, with a silver SUV parked at the curb in front. The scene is softly lit and suburban, with hanging flower baskets, porch furniture, and a quiet residential street. Photo: Ammodramus / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
A large gray clapboard house with wraparound porch sits behind leafy trees on a quiet corner, with flower pots, porch chairs, and a street sign in the foreground. The scene is shaded and green, giving it a calm residential feel rather than a cliff-dwelling view. Photo: Ammodramus / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
A white two-story house with a wraparound balcony and screened porch sits behind leafy trees, with a sign reading “The Balcony House” in the front yard. The scene is bright and green, with flower boxes, a trimmed lawn, and a sidewalk leading to the entrance. Photo: Ammodramus / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
A broad gray two-story house with a wraparound porch sits behind mature trees, with a silver SUV parked at the curb in front. White trim, porch chairs, and flower beds soften the facade in the morning light. Photo: Ammodramus / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
A two-story white clapboard house with a long shaded porch sits behind tall trees, with a silver SUV parked at the curb in front. The scene is bright and quiet, with neatly kept grass, porch chairs, and hanging flower baskets. Photo: Ammodramus / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
A white two-story house with a broad front porch and rows of windows sits behind a shaded green lawn, framed by leafy trees. A sign in front reads “The Balcony House,” with flower pots and porch chairs adding a welcoming, bed-and-breakfast feel. Photo: Ammodramus / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
A two-story gray bed-and-breakfast with a deep front porch sits behind leafy trees, with white trim, rows of windows, hanging flower baskets, and a central sign reading “The Balcony House.” Sunlight and shade dapple the lawn and facade, giving the home a quiet, garden-like feel. Photo: Ammodramus / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
A narrow driveway curves up to a stone house with a steep shingled roof, central balcony, and small-paned windows, partly hidden by dense trees and hedges. Low stone walls and gateposts frame the entrance under a soft gray morning sky. Photo: Jonathan Thacker / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

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