Park Passport

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site CO

Lat, Long: 38.03977546, -103.4266499

Designation: National Historic Site

In the 1840s the Arkansas River was the border between territory claimed by the United States and Mexico. Located on the river, Bent's Fort was an adobe trading post on the Santa Fe Trail, where traders, trappers, travelers, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes came together in peaceful terms for trade. Experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the front line of America's Westward Expansion.

Weather:

Summer temperatures are often in the high 90s and low 100s. Weather is generally fair in the fall and spring. Winter temperatures can be below freezing. Most of the fort is unheated and does not have modern cooling systems, so dress accordingly.

Directions:

The park is accessed via U.S. Highway 50 and Highway 194. From La Junta, Colorado on U.S. Highway 50, take Colorado Highway 109 north 1 mile to Colorado Highway 194, then east on Colorado Highway 194 six miles to the fort. From Las Animas, Colorado, on U.S. Highway 50, take Colorado Highway 194 west 13 miles. Set your GPS to 35110 State Highway 194 E., La Junta, CO.

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Address/Contact:

35110 State Highway 194

La Junta, US, 81050

Phone: 719 383-5010

Email: beol_interpretation@nps.gov

Entrance Fees:

Bent's Old Fort in background with wagon in front; fall yellow cottonwood leaves in foregroundBent's Old Fort with shortgrass prairie, tepee and wagon in foreground and blue sky & clouds aboveTwo animals are tied to a wooden frame in the interior of a large adobe structure.Bent's Old Fort with shortgrass prairie in foreground and blue sky and clouds aboveAn adobe fort with lights under a starry skybundles of glass trade beads tied together hang from a wooden rafterA Conestoga wagon and a solar race car stand on a road with a large adobe fort in the background