A group of visitors stand around a large wooden apparatus in a plaza courtyard.
A park ranger speaks to visitors gathered around the fur press in the plaza of the reconstructed fort. NPS/D. Ocheltree

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site

National Historic Site · Colorado · National Park Service

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.

Plan your visit

Know before you go

Phone
719 383-5010
Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

What's here

Highlights: Architecture and Building · Archeology · Colonization and Settlement · Commerce · Trade · Enslavement · Forts · Hispanic American Heritage · Military · US Army · Native American Heritage · Wars and Conflicts · Tribal Conflicts · Mexican War · Westward Expansion · Animals · Climate Change · Grasslands · Prairies · River and Riparian

Activities & features: Arts and Culture · Craft Demonstrations · Cultural Demonstrations · Biking · Road Biking · Guided Tours · Self-Guided Tours - Walking · Hiking · Living History · Junior Ranger Program · Wildlife Watching · Birdwatching · Park Film · Museum Exhibits · Shopping · Bookstore and Park Store · Gift Shop and Souvenirs

Photos

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

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54 parks mapped in Colorado

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Sources: National Park Service, Google Places · updated 2026-08-12