Balcony House can only be visited with a ranger-led tour. This adventuresome tour allows you to experience a taste of what the orginal inhabitants experienced. Access is accomplished by ladders and stone steps carved into the cliff. Also, it is one of the few places where a dwelling has a preserved balcony.
Access to Balcony House is by a 32 foot ladder at the right end of the dwelling. Exiting the ruin is to the left, crawling behind a huge boulder, then climbing 60 feet up the cliff face on steps carved into the cliff and finally another ladder near the top. The tour is not for those who fear heights or tight places. The tight places didn't bother me, but I found heights bothered me more than I expected.
Balcony House is named for the remnants of a balcony on this building. Structures such as this balcony as well as roofs and upper floors were generally built with thin logs and branches covered by adobe. They deteriorated much more quickly than brick walls and are therefore rarely seen today.
The round objects in front of the buildings are remnants of kivas. They are chambers about eight feet deep and were originally covered over with an opening in the center for access. Kivas were thought to be community gathering places for religious ceremonies.
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