Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site

Contact Information:
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
35110 Highway 194 East
La Junta, CO 81050
719-383-5010
http://www.nps.gov/beol/

Size: 799 acres

Visitation: 30,486 (2003)

Location: Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site is located 8 miles east of La Junta, Colorado, and 15 miles west of Las Animas on CO 194. From La Junta on US 50, take Hwy 109 north 1 mile to Highway 194, then 6 miles east; from Las Animas on US 50, take Highway 194 west 13 miles.

Description: An Anglo-American outpost on the Southern Plains, the fort was an Indian trading center and a center of civilization on the Santa Fe Trail. During the war with Mexico in 1846, the fort became a staging area for Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny's "Army of the West". Disasters and disease caused the fort's abandonment in 1849. Today's fort is a reconstruction of the original fort (built in 1833).

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site courtesy of the National Park Service

Operating Hours: Hours of operation at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site are 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM June through August and 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM September through May. No reservations are necessary for guided tours in the summer. Summer tours start at 9:30, 11:00 AM, and 1:00, 2:30 PM. Winter tours (September through May) start at 10:30 AM and 1:00 PM. Winter group tours can be reserved by calling (719) 383-5026.

History: Authorized on June 3, 1960. 

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See other Colorado National Parks