Pecos National Historical Park
Pecos is a natural and cultural crossroads through which hunters, gatherers, traders, missionaries, immigrants, soldiers, ranchers, and other travelers passed and lived. Follow in their footsteps and imagine Pecos through the centuries. Visit sites where cultural demonstrations and traditional practices continue today - a living legacy of the people who passed this way. At Pecos, past is present.
Alerts
- InformationRide Share Services - pickup limited
Taxi and ride-share services are often not available in Pecos. Even if services like Uber and Lyft will bring you here, it can be very difficult to secure a ride out. Please ensure you have a departure plan in place before being dropped off at Pecos.
Fire nearby
- WildfireFrijoles
27 mi from the park's reference point · 15,956 acres · 90% contained
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| General Park Hours | Daily · 8:00AM - 4:30PM |
Hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 8:00AM - 4:30PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving | Hours not published |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas | Hours not published |
| Jan 1, 2027New Years Day | Hours not published |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- E. E. Fogelson Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Begin at the visitor center, where you can view an excellent museum that covers the region's history, archeology, and contemporary connections. You may also purchase a trail guide to bring on the Ancestral Sites Trail with you.
Explore
Things to do
- Hiking Glorieta Pass Battlefield90-150 Minutes
Hiking the 2.25-mile Glorieta Pass Battlefield Trail will lead you through part of New Mexico's Civil War history. The trail leads to sites where fighting occurred in March 1862.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hiking the Ancestral Sites Trail40-90 Minutes
This trail gives you a glimpse into the past as you pass by the ancestral sites of the Pecos Pueblo and the mission church. You will also enjoy beautiful vistas of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Glorieta Mesa as you venture around the trail.
Opens on the Park Service site - Walking the South Pasture Loop90-150 Minutes
Walking the South Pasture Loop Trail offers visitors the chance to enjoy a quieter side of the park.
Opens on the Park Service site - Fishing at Pecos NHP
Fishing along the Pecos gives visitors an opportunity to experience the park in a special way.
Opens on the Park Service site
Events
- Ancestral Sites Trail Guided Walk10/1410:00 AM · runs through Dec 31 · free
- Guided Tour: Forked Lightning Ranch House Caravan Tour10/1401:30 PM · runs through Dec 31 · free
- Forked Lightning Pueblo Tour10/1601:00 PM · free · registration required
- Battle of Glorieta Pass Talk10/1801:30 PM · runs through Dec 29 · free
- Arrowhead Pueblo Tour10/2501:00 PM · free · registration required
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
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.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Pecos. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for New Mexico'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 monthCoyote 2× · Greater Roadrunner 1× · American Black Bear 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 85 birds, 31 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Cooper's Hawk · Great Horned Owl · Osprey · Red-tailed Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersCanada Goose · Great Blue Heron · Green Heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsKilldeer · Spotted Sandpiper · Willet
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove
WoodpeckersHairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker
Hummingbirds & swiftsBlack-chinned Hummingbird · Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAmerican Crow · American Goldfinch · American Robin · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Black Phoebe · Black-headed Grosbeak · Black-throated Gray Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brewer's Blackbird · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's Oriole · Bushtit · Canyon Towhee · Canyon Wren · Cassin's Kingbird · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Cliff Swallow · Common Nighthawk · Common Raven · Common Yellowthroat · Cordilleran Flycatcher · Dark-eyed Junco · Grace's Warbler · Gray Flycatcher · Great-tailed Grackle · Greater Roadrunner · House Finch · House Wren · Juniper Titmouse · Lark Sparrow · Lesser Goldfinch · MacGillivray's Warbler · Mallard · Mountain Bluebird · Mountain Chickadee · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Pine Siskin · Pinyon Jay · Plumbeous Vireo · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-winged Blackbird · Rock Wren · Rufous-crowned Sparrow · Say's Phoebe · Song Sparrow · Spotted Towhee · Steller's Jay · Vesper Sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Virginia's Warbler · Warbling Vireo · Western Bluebird · Western Meadowlark · Western Scrub-jay · Western Tanager · Western Wood-pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-rumped Warbler
Small mammalsAbert's Squirrel · American Beaver · Audubon's Cottontail · Black-tailed Jack Rabbit · Botta's Pocket Gopher · Brush Deermouse · Colorado Chipmunk · Common Muskrat · Deer Mouse · Meadow Vole · Mexican Woodrat · Piñon Deermouse · Rock Mouse · Rock Squirrel · Silky Pocket Mouse · Western Harvest Mouse · common porcupine
PredatorsAmerican Black Bear · Bobcat · Common Gray Fox · Coyote · Long-tailed Weasel · Ringtail · Striped Skunk · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsMule Deer · elk
BatsBlack Bat · Fringed Myotis · Southern Yellow Bat
Also on the checklistCatamount
Activities
Activity guides for this park Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks
Weather & climate
Pecos National Historical Park is located at nearly 7,000 feet in altitude in the high desert region of Northern New Mexico. Please know your limits at this high desert altitude. We recommend that you wear clothing appropriate to the season, bring plenty of water, stop for a snack or lunch at one of the picnic tables, wear comfortable shoes, and put on plenty of sunscreen. Specific daily Pecos weather information may be accessed at this link: http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/weather.htm.
Questions people ask
Does Pecos charge an entrance fee?
No. Pecos is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Pecos?
Standard hours are 8:00AM - 4:30PM, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Pecos?
The Park Service lists no campgrounds inside Pecos.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Pecos right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: Ride Share Services - pickup limited.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Pecos?
37,083 recreation visits in 2025, number 287 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Pecos?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Pecos established?
1965. It covers about 10 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Pecos?
Pecos National Historical Park is located at nearly 7,000 feet in altitude in the high desert region of Northern New Mexico. Please know your limits at this high desert altitude.
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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