Alert: Do Not Handle Wildlife

National Historic Site

Bent's Old Fort

Two animals are tied to a wooden frame in the interior of a large adobe structure.
Horse and Mule in the Plaza NPS Photo

Overview

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.

State: CO719 383-5010

Hours

  • Sunday: 9:00AM - 4:00PM
  • Monday: 9:00AM - 4:00PM
  • Tuesday: 9:00AM - 4:00PM
  • Wednesday: 9:00AM - 4:00PM
  • Thursday: 9:00AM - 4:00PM
  • Friday: 9:00AM - 4:00PM
  • Saturday: 9:00AM - 4:00PM

Fees & Passes

  • Entrance - Per Person:  10.00

    $10.00 per person - Adults (age 16 and older).


  • Entrance - Education/Academic Groups:  0.00

    Applications for fee waivers must be received two weeks prior to your anticipated trip. Those organized, educational groups of children who are less than 16 years of age with less than 75 students and no more than 10 adult teachers and chaperones must call to schedule a field trip to the park at least two weeks in advance of their visit in order to enter the park free of charge without a fee waiver.


Map

Things To Do

Category

6 Results
    Photo of Arkansas River with blue sky and sunflowers beside Bent's Old Fort trail

    Hiking along the Arkansas River

    $

    Description

    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 signs tell the story of the river ecosystem, Santa Fe Trail and Bent's Fort.

    More info

    Fees

    Park entry fee or annual pass required for all adult visitors.

    Pet FriendlyTime:30-90 Minutes
    Video Screen of Park Film at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site

    Park Film at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site

    $

    Description

    View the 20-minute documentary film, "Traders, Tribes and Travelers" at the fort. Narrated by actor Peter Coyote, this film looks back at the traders, tribes and travelers that converged at this historic landmark site. 

    More info

    Fees

    Park entry fee or annual pass required for all adult visitors.

    Pet FriendlyTime:1-20 Minutes
    Reconstructed fort at Bent's Old Fort with tipis and wagons in front

    Explore the Reconstructed Bent's Old Fort

    $

    Description

    Bent's Old Fort is one of the finest tangible examples of Santa Fe Trail history. The immersive experience of being in the reconstructed fort allows visitors to "step back" in time and discover what the West was like in the 1830s and 1840s at this important trading post.

    More info

    Fees

    Park entry fee or annual pass required for all adult visitors.

    Pet FriendlyTime:1-3 Hours
    A triangular corral defined by tall adobe walls.

    Self-Guided Tour

    $

    Description

    Take a self-guided tour of the fort and discover the role the fort played in the borderlands between the United States and Mexico in the 1830s and 1840s.

    More info

    Fees

    Park entry fee or annual pass required for all adult visitors.

    Pet FriendlyTime:1-120 Minutes
    A paved path leads to an adobe fortress. Two tipis are set up in the foreground

    Walk to Bent's Fort

    $

    Description

    All visitors must walk along the route of the Santa Fe Trail to reach the reconstructed fort. There is a paved pathway, 1,275 feet in length, from the parking lot to the fort that is hard-surfaced and wheelchair accessible.

    More info

    Fees

    Park entry fee or annual pass required for all adult visitors.

    Pet FriendlyTime:3-15 Minutes
    Cover of Bent's Old Fort Jr Ranger book with wagon, oxen, adobe fort, tips, bison & Rangers & kids

    Become a Junior Ranger at Bent's Old Fort

    $

    Description

    Upon your arrival at the fort, request a Junior Ranger booklet from a park ranger in the Native Trade Room. Explore the fort using the booklet, complete the pages for your age group and receive a Junior Ranger Badge.

    More info

    Fees

    While Junior Ranger booklets are free, a park entry fee or annual pass is required for all adult visitors..

    Pet Friendly

More Images

Two animals are tied to a wooden frame in the interior of a large adobe structure.
Two animals are tied to a wooden frame in the interior of a large adobe structure.
Bent's Old Fort with shortgrass prairie in foreground and blue sky and clouds above
Bent's Old Fort with shortgrass prairie in foreground and blue sky and clouds above
Wooden boxes and buffalo furs are scattered around a plaza inside an adobe fortification.
Wooden boxes and buffalo furs are scattered around a plaza inside an adobe fortification.
Bent's Old Fort with shortgrass prairie, tepee and wagon in foreground and blue sky & clouds above
Bent's Old Fort with shortgrass prairie, tepee and wagon in foreground and blue sky & clouds above
bundles of glass trade beads tied together hang from a wooden rafter
bundles of glass trade beads tied together hang from a wooden rafter
An adobe fort with lights under a starry sky
An adobe fort with lights under a starry sky
Bent's Old Fort in background with wagon in front; fall yellow cottonwood leaves in foreground
Bent's Old Fort in background with wagon in front; fall yellow cottonwood leaves in foreground
A Conestoga wagon and a solar race car stand on a road with a large adobe fort in the background
A Conestoga wagon and a solar race car stand on a road with a large adobe fort in the background
A row of saddles are arrayed along a wooden beam near an adobe building
A row of saddles are arrayed along a wooden beam near an adobe building
A wooden counter is in the foreground of a trade room, with sales items on display in the background
A wooden counter is in the foreground of a trade room, with sales items on display in the background