Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
In the 1840s the Arkansas River was the border between territory claimed by the United States and Mexico. Located along 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. Today, a reconstructed fort allows visitors to explore the front line of Westward Expansion.
Alerts
- CautionNPS ↗Capacity Restrictions at the Reconstructed Fort
The design of the reconstructed fort fails to meet accessibility, fire, and life-safety requirements of 1976. A lack of code compliant components such as emergency lighting, illuminated exit signage, panic hardware on doors, and outwardly swinging exit doors results in a limitation of 49 occupants for visitor operations within the reconstructed fort.
- CautionNPS ↗Plaza Access to Reconstructed Fort
Entry into the reconstructed fort is limited to the central plaza on scheduled days. For your safety respect all closures and restrictions. Guided tours provide access into additional areas.
- InformationNPS ↗Guided Tours at the Reconstructed Fort
Regularly scheduled guided tours provide access into furnished rooms and explore the fort’s role in Westward Expansion and the reconstruction of the fort in 1976.
- InformationNPS ↗A Short Walk is Required to Reach the Fort
A 1/4 mile (1,275 feet) walk on a paved trail from the parking area is required to reach the gate of the fort. At the end of your visit, you'll return to your vehicle along the same path.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
As of May 2025, entrance fees at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site are indefinitely suspended due to the restricted access within and compromised condition of the reconstructed fort.
Hours
| Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site | Daily · 9:00AM - 4:00PM |
| Replica Fort | Varies by day ▾
|
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 9:00AM - 4:00PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day | Hours not published |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
| Jan 18, 2027Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Closed |
| Feb 15, 2027Washington's Birthday | Closed |
Replica Fort: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow |
|
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
| Jan 18, 2027MLK Day | Closed |
| Feb 15, 2027Washington's Birthday | Closed |
When to go
September draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Information CenterPassport stamp
The information center is located at the visitor parking area, immediately next to the restrooms and orientation shelter. It provides orientation materials and has a Western National Park Store.
Explore
Things to do
- Western National Parks Store at Bent's Old Fort
The park store is operated by Western National Parks, an official non-profit partner of the National Park Service dedicated to supporting the educational mission of Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site.
Opens on the Park Service site - Guided Tours of Bent's Old Fort45-55 Minutes
Take a tour with a Park Ranger to learn more about Bent's Old Fort. Tours are limited to fifteen participants and will explore the historic use of the site and the reconstruction of the fort in the 1970s.
Opens on the Park Service site - Plaza Access in the Fort10-30 Minutes
The public is invited inside the reconstruction of Bent’s Old Fort, entering through the zaguan gate and into the plaza. Park Rangers will be present to explain the features of the fort and its 20th century reconstruction.
Opens on the Park Service site - Become a Junior Ranger at Bent's Old Fort
Upon your arrival at the fort, request a Junior Ranger booklet from a park ranger. Tour the fort and grounds while completing the booklet according to your skill level. Take your completed book to a park ranger to receive a Junior Ranger Badge.
Opens on the Park Service site - Birdwatching at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
Birdwatching can be a fun activity that the whole family can enjoy. Seventy-two species of birds are currently documented at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hiking along the Arkansas River30-90 Minutes
Visitors can hike a 1.75 mile trail that winds its way through the cottonwood trees alongside the wetlands and the Arkansas River. Interpretive exhibit panels explain the further significance of this important river ecosystem.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 7Hide
- Trail to History3-15 Minutes
The entrance to the reconstructed fort is gained from the one-quarter mile paved pathway extending from the shade shelter to the fort doors.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Fort Open to Plaza Access10/1509:00 AM · runs through Oct 31 · free
- Guided Tour10/1611:00 AM · runs through Oct 31 · free
- The Business of Bison10/2409:00 AM · free
News
- NPS seeks public input on future of reconstructed fort at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site ↗2026-08-18
The National Park Service invites the public to review and comment on four early concepts for the condition and future of the reconstructed fort at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- North La Junta SchoolBuilding · La Junta · 6.3 mi
- U.S. Post OfficeBuilding · La Junta · 7.4 mi
- Wilson A. Hart HouseBuilding · La Junta · 7.5 mi
- Lincoln SchoolBuilding · La Junta · 7.6 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for Colorado's national parks
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthWestern Meadowlark 2× · Gray Fox 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 70 birds, 22 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Ferruginous Hawk · Great Horned Owl · Hen Harrier · Red-tailed Hawk · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Bittern · American Coot · Black-crowned Night Heron · Blue-winged Teal · Cinnamon Teal · Great Blue Heron · Green Heron · White-faced Ibis
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Avocet · Black Tern · Forster's Tern · Killdeer · Spotted Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Pheasant · Common Pigeon · Mourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Lewis' Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Red-headed Woodpecker
Also on the checklistAmerican Crow · American Goldfinch · American Robin · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Black-headed Grosbeak · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's Oriole · Cassin's Kingbird · Cassin's Sparrow · Chipping Sparrow · Common Grackle · Common Nighthawk · Common Starling · Common Yellowthroat · Dickcissel · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Grasshopper Sparrow · House Sparrow · House Wren · Lark Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Mallard · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Shoveler · Orchard Oriole · Red-winged Blackbird · Rock Wren · Sora · Violet-green Swallow · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western Tanager · Western Wood Pewee · Yellow-headed Blackbird
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · Arizona black-tailed prairie dog · Audubon's Cottontail · Black-tailed Jack Rabbit · Common Muskrat · Crawford's Gray Shrew · Deer Mouse · Eastern Fox Squirrel · Hispid Cotton Rat · Hispid Pocket Mouse · Northern Grasshopper Mouse · Ord's Kangaroo Rat · Rock Squirrel · Spotted Ground Squirrel · Western Harvest Mouse · White-footed Deermouse · White-throated Woodrat
PredatorsAmerican badger · Coyote · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsMule Deer · White-tailed Deer
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 15 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
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 replica fort is unheated and does not have modern cooling systems, so dress accordingly.
Questions people ask
Does Bent's Old Fort charge an entrance fee?
No. Bent's Old Fort is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Bent's Old Fort?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - 4:00PM, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Bent's Old Fort right now?
4 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Guided Tours at the Reconstructed Fort; Capacity Restrictions at the Reconstructed Fort; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Bent's Old Fort?
7,190 recreation visits in 2025, number 365 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
What is the weather like at Bent's Old Fort?
Summer temperatures are often in the high 90s and low 100s. Weather is generally fair in the fall and spring.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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