Fort Davis National Historic Site
Fort Davis is one of the best surviving examples of an Indian Wars' frontier military post in the Southwest. From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the Trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and on the Chihuahua Trail.
Alerts
- InformationNPS ↗Fort Davis NHS is a NO DRONE Zone!
The use of drones is prohibited at Fort Davis National Historic Site. Thank you for preserving the cultural landscape.
- InformationFort Davis NHS is in the Central Time Zone
Fort Davis National Historic Site is located in the Central Time Zone. The park is open 8:00 am until 5:00 pm (Central Time). The Visitor Center closes at 4:30pm. The Main Gate locks at 5:00pm.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Per PersonPer Person entry. | $10 | |
| MotorcycleAdmits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers. | $15 | |
| Private VehicleEntrance - Private Vehicle (includes driver and passengers) | $20 | |
| Commercial tours · by vehicle capacity | ||
| SedanCommercial Entrance - Sedan (1-6 persons vehicle capacity) | $20 | |
| VanCommercial Entrance - Van (7-15 persons vehicle capacity) | $40 | |
| Mini-busCommercial Entrance - Mini-bus (16-25 persons vehicle capacity) | $40 | |
| Motor CoachCommercial Entrance - Motor Coach (26+ person vehicle capacity) | $100 | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkThis pass will admit the pass owners and three other adults to the Fort for 12 months from the month of purchase. | $35 | |
All entrance fees are taken at the Visitor Center.
Hours
| Regular Hours | Daily · 8:00AM - 5:00PM |
Hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 8:00AM - 5:00PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Closed Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027Closed New Year's Day | Closed |
| Jan 18, 2027Closed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | Closed |
When to go
March draws the most visits here and September the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Fort Davis National Historic Site has one Visitor Center where you can pay the entrance fee, receive orientation, grounds map, and watch the parks introductory video.
No campgrounds, no webcams, no things to do or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
Guidebooks for Texas's national parks and the Southwest
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthGreater Roadrunner 5× · Mountain Lion 1× · North American Porcupine 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 125 birds, 15 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Common Black-Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Golden Eagle · Gray Hawk · Great Horned Owl · Northern Harrier · Prairie Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Rough-legged Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture · Zone-tailed Hawk
Waterfowl & wadersGreat Blue Heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsKilldeer
Gamebirds & dovesEurasian Collared-Dove · Montezuma Quail · Mourning Dove · Scaled Quail · White-winged Dove
WoodpeckersAcorn Woodpecker · Ladder-backed Woodpecker · Northern Flicker
Hummingbirds & swiftsBlack-chinned Hummingbird · Broad-tailed Hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · White-throated Swift
Also on the checklistAmerican Goldfinch · American Robin · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Barn Swallow · Bewick's Wren · Black Phoebe · Black-chinned Sparrow · Black-crested Titmouse · Black-headed Grosbeak · Black-throated Sparrow · Blue Grosbeak · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brewer's Blackbird · Brewer's Sparrow · Bronzed Cowbird · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's Oriole · Bushtit · Cactus Wren · Canyon Towhee · Canyon Wren · Cassin's Finch · Cassin's Kingbird · Cassin's Sparrow · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Clay-colored Sparrow · Cliff Swallow · Common Nighthawk · Common Raven · Cordilleran Flycatcher · Curve-billed Thrasher · Dark-eyed Junco · Dusky Flycatcher · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · European Starling · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Flycatcher · Greater Roadrunner · Green-tailed Towhee · Hepatic Tanager · Hermit Thrush · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Lark Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Lesser Goldfinch · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · MacGillivray's Warbler · Mountain Bluebird · Nashville Warbler · Northern Cardinal · Northern Mockingbird · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orange-crowned Warbler · Orchard Oriole · Painted Bunting · Phainopepla · Pine Siskin · Pyrrhuloxia · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Rock Wren · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rufous-crowned Sparrow · Savannah Sparrow · Say's Phoebe · Scissor-tailed Flycatcher · Scott's Oriole · Song Sparrow · Spotted Towhee · Steller's Jay · Summer Tanager · Townsend's Solitaire · Townsend's Warbler · Verdin · Vermilion Flycatcher · Vesper Sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Western Bluebird · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western Scrub-Jay · Western Tanager · Western Wood-Pewee · White-crowned Sparrow · White-throated Sparrow · Wilson's Warbler · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-headed Blackbird · Yellow-rumped Warbler
Small mammalsBlack-tailed Jackrabbit · Botta's Pocket Gopher · North American Porcupine · Rock Squirrel · Spotted Ground Squirrel · Yellow-faced Pocket Gopher
PredatorsCommon Gray Fox · Coyote · Mountain Lion · Northern Raccoon
Hoofed mammalsEuropean Mouflon Sheep · Javelina · Mule Deer
BatsEastem Small-footed Myotis · Townsend's Big-eared Bat
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 17 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Summer Temperatures average a High of 95 and low of 65. Winter Temperatures average a High of 60 and a low of 20. Wind is very common and heavy rainfall is very sporadic.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Fort Davis?
Entrance is $20 per private vehicle, $15 per motorcycle, and $10 per person on foot or bike. Entrance - Private Vehicle (includes driver and passengers)
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Fort Davis?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Fort Davis-only annual pass is $35.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Fort Davis takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Fort Davis free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Fort Davis?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Fort Davis. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Fort Davis?
Standard hours are 8:00AM - 5:00PM, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Fort Davis right now?
2 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Fort Davis NHS is a NO DRONE Zone!; Fort Davis NHS is in the Central Time Zone.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Fort Davis?
35,580 recreation visits in 2025, number 290 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Fort Davis?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Fort Davis established?
1961.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Fort Davis?
Summer Temperatures average a High of 95 and low of 65. Winter Temperatures average a High of 60 and a low of 20.
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.
