Knife Edge Road
"Knife Edge"
was an apt
description for this
precarious access
into Mesa Verde.
In the early 1900s, America's obsession with the
automobile reached Mesa Verde National Park and quickly
influenced the park's development. In 1914, a narrow
dirt road was completed into the park. Two Studebakers,
two Fords, one Reo, and one Hupmobile were the first
automobiles to make the arduous journey from Mancos
to what is now the Park Headquarters. The trip took three
hours and visitors were charged $1.00 per car.
Improvements and yearly maintenance became a
necessity on the narrow park road. Eventually the
Knife Edge Road was surfaced with asphalt. This
section of the road was abandoned in 1957 when
the Morefield-Prater tunnel was constructed.
