Operating Hours:
Summer Hours (Memorial Day Weekend to Indigenous Peoples' Day) The fort is open from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm. The gate is open from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm. Winter Hours (the day after Indigenous Peoples' Day to the day before Memorial Day Weekend) The fort is open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, when the fort will be closed. The gate is open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Fees and Passes
Per Person - Adults (age 16 and older): $10.00
Children (age 15 and under): Free
All park visitors are required to pay an entrance fee or have a valid federal recreation pass to recreate in the park, including walking on the trails.
Entrance fees can be paid to a ranger at the entrance of the fort or at the Western National Parks Association (WNPA) park store in the back of the fort. The National Park Service accepts credit card for fee payments. WNPA accepts all forms of tender.
Permits are good for seven consecutive days. Fees apply to those 16 years old and older.
The park issues the America the Beautiful Interagency Annual Pass, Bent's Old Fort Annual Pass, Annual and Lifetime Senior Passes, Military Pass, Access Pass, and 4th Grade Every Kid Outdoors Annual Pass.
Weather
Summer temperatures are sometimes in the high 90s. Weather is generally fair in the fall and spring. Winter temperatures can be below freezing in the winter. Most of the fort is unheated and does not have modern cooling and so dress accordingly.
Pets
Activities with pets are limited at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site. Pets are permitted on the trail and must be leashed at all times, kept close at hand and away from fort livestock. Pets are not allowed in rooms in the fort.
Special Events and Living History Opportunities
Special events are a great time to visit. Click here for the calendar of events.
Western National Parks Association Bookstore
The WNPA Bookstore is located at the rear of the fort and is a great place to shop for books, maps and videos that provide further information about Bent's Fort, Santa Fe Trail and fur trade history. Trades representative of the fort's history are also on sale. Sales of items help fund the living history programs. Click here for a catalog of items.
