Ice fishing is a popular winter sport on McPhee Reservoir. Only 9 miles from Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez hosts many of the 800,000 annual visitors who come to explore the numerous ruins, excavations, museums and guided tours devoted to Anasazi culture. The Cortez Welcome Center at Cortez is located on Main Street in the Cortez City Park. The center provides information on area attractions, recreation, shopping, accommodations and dining. The authentic southwestern style building houses custom crafts from area artisans as well as pottery and artifacts excavated from ancient ruins at the Ute Mountain Tribal Park.
Admission is free.
Cortez is home to some of the Four Corners' finest art galleries, including quality works by area painters, sculptors, jewelers and potters. A peaceful people, the Anasazi were hunters, farmers and traders who developed a complex civilization that lasted more than 700 years. Their culture, which dates to the time of Christ, lasted until about 1,000 A.D., when they disappeared from the region. As many as 100,000 Anasazi sites, many of which remain undiscovered, may exist in Montezuma County alone. The exact reasons for the Anasazi's departure remain shrouded in mystery.