Balcony House, Mesa Verde National Park, CO
Posted by: 
94RedRover
N 37° 09.694 W 108° 27.866
12S E 725146 N 4115806
The Balcony House is one of the ruins that is not visible from the roadway, but from the view and meeting area for this tour, there are numerous other dwellings visible.
Waymark Code: WM5Q1W
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 02/01/2009
Views: 14
Right on this trail into Soda Canyon and south to Balcony House, o.3 m.; the last 25 feet of the climb into the cave is by ladder. From a standpoint of defense against enemies, which must have been an impelling motive in its construction, Balcony House is perhaps better situated than any of the park ruins. The cave is virtually inaccessible; its only approach is by several narrow ledges. At the south entrance, guarded by a narrow cleft, the builders erected a stone wall with a tunnel passable only on hands and knees.
Balcony House takes its name from an unusual architecture feature. At the north end of thr ruin, where a supporting wall was built on a lower ledge to brace the building above, the floor beams of the upper rooms project two feet beyond the outer wall. These ends were covered with split poles and clay to form a balcony that permitted communication between the upper rooms. The ruins of twenty rooms and two kivas at Balcony House, believed to have been built between 1190 and 1272, are among the best preserved in the park; several ceilings are still intact.
Colorado A Guide to the Highest State, 1941
A $3.00 guided tour is required to gain access to the Balcony House. From Mesa Top Ruin Road, it isn't visible, as it is snuggled in the cliff below you. The Balcony House is believed to have been inhabited much later than som eof the other ruins, and it's claim to fame may have been a strong spring that provided ample water to its residents. There ia evidence however, that the structure changed dramatically towards the end of it's inhabitation.
Getting down to the dwelling, one is immediately faced with a wall that was put up blocking good entrance to the rest of the dwelling. The distinct outline of a doorway and large windows being bricked up stare right at you. The only way in is through a 12 foot tunnel, that even a child would have to crawl to get through. This would easily allow anyone protecting the site to be able to strike whoever came through easily and effectively.
Was this bricked up entrance for protection...or was this a stronghold for the precious water source?
Wanna get back up to the mesa top? Don't worry. You do not have to climb up the cliff wall with your fingertips, as the original inhabitants obviously did. There is now a 32 foot ladder to climb up. It shakes, it's high up...just don't look down...