Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Originally established as a private fur trading fort in 1834, Fort Laramie evolved into the largest and best-known military post on the Northern Plains before its abandonment in 1890. Nicknamed the “Grand Old Post,” Fort Laramie witnessed the entire sweeping saga of America’s western expansion and Indian resistance to encroachment on their territories.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Park grounds and historic buildings | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Fort Laramie National Historic Site Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Start your tour at the Visitor Center. Located in the restored 1884 Commissary Storehouse, you can view an 18-minute orientation film, tour our museum, and browse our award-winning bookstore.
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.
News
- “Champagne & Beaver Pelts: The Birth of Fort Laramie’s Fur Trade Era” ↗2026-07-29
Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Fort Laramie National Historic Site will spotlight the rich history of the 1830s Fur Trade on Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1, 2026.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Fort Laramie Three-Mile Hog RanchBuilding · Fort Laramie · 4 mi
- Register CliffSite · Guernsey · 9 mi
Guidebooks for Wyoming's national parks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Compass American Guides: Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Full-color Travel Guide)Fodor's, 2014Find at Bookshop.org
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 121 birds, 35 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsBald Eagle · Eastern Screech-Owl · Hen Harrier · Merlin · Osprey · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture · american kestrel · cooper's hawk · golden eagle · red-tailed hawk
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Wigeon · Blue-winged Teal · Common Goldeneye · Common Loon · Double-crested Cormorant · Green Heron · Hooded Merganser · Sandhill Crane · Western Grebe · Wood Duck · american coot · canada goose · common merganser · great blue heron · green-winged teal · northern pintail
Shorebirds & seabirdsCaspian Tern · Least Sandpiper · Ring-billed Gull · Spotted Sandpiper · Wilson's Snipe · killdeer · semipalmated plover
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Pheasant · Common Pigeon · Eurasian Collared-Dove · Wild Turkey · mourning dove
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Red-naped Sapsucker · hairy woodpecker · nothern flicker · red-headed woodpecker
Also on the checklistAmerican Cliff Swallow · American Tree Sparrow · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Black-billed Magpie · Black-capped Chickadee · Black-headed Grosbeak · Blue Grosbeak · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brown Creeper · Bullock's oriole · Cedar Waxwing · Common Yellowthroat · Cordilleran flycatcher · Dusky Flycatcher · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Phoebe · Gadwall · Gray Catbird · Great-Crested Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Lark Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Lazuli Bunting · Lincoln's Sparrow · Marsh Wren · New Name · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shrike · Northern Waterthrush · Orchard Oriole · Pine Siskin · Red Crossbill · Red-eyed Vireo · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Swainson's Thrush · Townsend's Solitaire · Tree Swallow · Warbling Vireo · Western Wood Pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · Yellow-Rumped Warbler · american crow · american goldfinch · american robin · barn swallow · belted kingfisher · blue jay · brewer's blackbird · brown thrasher · brown-headed cowbird · common grackle · common nighthawk · dark-eyed junco · eastern kingbird · great horned ow' · house finch · house sparrow · house wren · loggerhead shrike · macgillivray's warbler · mallard · northern mockingbird · red-winged blackbird · sage thrasher · say's phoebe · song sparrow · spotted towhee · starling · steller's jay · vesper sparrow · western kingbird · western meadowlark · western tanager · white-crowned sparrow · yellow warbler · yellow-breasted chat
Small mammalsBlack-tailed Jack Rabbit · Eastern Cottontail · House Mouse · Merriam's Shrew · Northern Grasshopper Mouse · Northern Pocket Gopher · beaver · deer mouse · desert cottontail · eastern mole · fox squirrel · muskrat · porcupine · prairie vole · thirteen-lined ground squirrel · western harvest mouse
PredatorsAmerican Badger · American Mink · Bobcat · coyote · long-tailed weasel · raccoon · red fox · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalsDomestic Horse · Pronghorn · mule deer · white-tailed deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Black Bat · Hoary Bat · Small-footed Myotis · little brown bat · mule-eared bat
Also on the checklistvirginia opossum
Activities
Activity guides for this park Fishing in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks
Weather & climate
Fort Laramie summer days can be quite hot (over 100F/37C), average highs are in the 80s and 90s (30-35C) with cool nights and low humidity. Winters are often bitterly cold and windy with subzero wind chills. The region is semi-arid with a distinct winter dry season. About 70% of annual precipitation falls as thunderstorms during the spring and early summer. Breezy days are common year-round and peak in the winter when wind speeds can approach hurricane-strength.
Questions people ask
Does Fort Laramie charge an entrance fee?
No. Fort Laramie is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Fort Laramie?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Fort Laramie?
36,998 recreation visits in 2025, number 288 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Fort Laramie?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 4G LTE, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Fort Laramie established?
1931. It covers about 1.3 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Fort Laramie?
Fort Laramie summer days can be quite hot (over 100F/37C), average highs are in the 80s and 90s (30-35C) with cool nights and low humidity. Winters are often bitterly cold and windy with subzero wind chills.
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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