But please keep hands and feet out of potholes, because oils and lotions from human skin pollute these temporary oases, essential links in the high-desert life cycles of countless plants and animals. Pothole Point Trail is 5.8 miles from the Needles District Visitor Center. 1000 A.D. A stop at A.H.C., a museum for interpreting the history and cultures of the Four Corners region, is an ideal starting point for hikes featuring archaeological sites. Mesa Verde sits directly south. The lake below is McPhee Reservoir.
Artifacts collected before water filled the reservoir are on display at the museum.
At the museum's Discovery Area, children can explore a pithouse, grind corn, touch real artifacts, use a microscope and learn tree-ring dating. The trail and museum hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Bright green oak seedlings and native grasses brighten the landscape blackened by last summer's fires. Beginning 1 mile south of the Far View Visitor Center, the Far View Trail loops through the stone remnants of a densely populated portion of the mesa. Farming was the primary occupation here, supported by what most archaeologists consider an artificial reservoir - Mummy Lake.