Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site — Attraction in La Junta

Fun way to experience history. Worth the drive but see cautions and handicap issues below. Guides were great and set the historical stage, the shaded area at the parking lot provided a good introduction, and a slideshow and movie in the fort gave more interesting information. Historical actors were also there this weekend and were fun to talk with. No one broke character and it was like stepping back to 1843. The fort itself was amazing - So amazing that every kid there was fully engaged. No electronic devices here! The rooms held historically accurate artifacts. The well room was my favorite. Upper story accessed by a moderately steep stairway. Kids bounded up them! I went up a bit more slowly. Great view of the forts interior and several more rooms upstairs. Parking is good and they have a large unpaved lot that could easily hold an RV and toad. La Junta has a cute little park for a picnic after too! CAUTIONS: Shade is very limited. We were really grateful we wore hats. There is a water fountain in the fort, but we were glad we had water with us too. HANDICAP ACCESS: Handicap access is a problem. A paved trail leads to the fort and it is lengthy if you have mobility issues. We saw an older couple with canes end up leaving when park staff told them the only way to the fort was by walking the trail. It was sad. They said they just needed help with that long walk and were very disappointed when the staff said they had no way to help them. Hated that. There is shaded seating at the trail head, a bench on the trail, and a log under a tree midway down the trail and various benches in shaded areas once you get into the fort. We had a family member we pushed in a wheelchair. The paved trail to the fort was fine but it ends in a sandy gravel area which extends throughout the fort. At times she had to stand and walk several paces as we couldn't get the chair though the sand or it would get stuck on large gravel. Once in the fort the shaded walkway which surrounded the interior gravel court was navigable. Again, she needed to get out and walk a few steps to go over doorways to get into rooms, or when we navigated off the square court's shaded sidewalks. It worked for us as she can walk short distances. Strangely, most rooms were navigable! It's a shame they don't have a golf cart to help more fragile people get to the fort - and a consistent harder surface to follow when the paved trail ends - as this is a site it seems older people would really enjoy. The guides are great to talk with and the history is fascinating. There is a...

On vacation in the area and we were told before we got here that this was a must see historic site. We are so glad we did.

Directions to the Fort were easy to follow and it is located just about 6-7 miles to the northeast of La Junta. Roads are not the best though so be careful while going around some of the curves.

Entrance into the site is easy and there is room for buses and/or rvs to pull in and park as well. From the parking lot, there is a fairly level walkway that is wheelchair accessible to get to the fort which is about 1/4 mile away going down towards the Arkansas River. Be careful as they do have snakes and massive spiders in the area including tarantulas.

BEFORE you walk down, be sure and read the signs at the start of the walk. It is very informative and also has information that children will like reading written from a child's viewpoint about life in the fort.

Walking in the entrance, you are greeted by volunteers who are dressed in period costume from over 170 years ago. They helped us to obtain our Veteran's Federal Access passes which greatly reduced the cost to get in. However, even if there had been no cost savings, I would have paid full price to get in as it is worth it in my opinion.

The old fort is a well-laid out reproduction of the original and with little imagination, you can imagine the grassy plains being the home of many of the Cheyenne nation as they came to trade with the Bent brothers.

Many of the rooms are interactive and the entire place is wheelchair accessible with the exception of the upper ramparts of the fort. This could be a disappointment to some but there is still plenty to see on the main level.

Timeframe - we spent about 3 hours and still didn't see everything. Had we gone on a day that they had live action volunteers doing things like the woodshop, the kitchen, the leather room, etc., then it could easily have gone another hour or so.

We LOVED the little gift shop and there is something for everyone. You can buy really tasty jerky made from venison, duck, or antelope or other treats. They also have gifts and books covering the period of the fort circa 1830-1850s including books dealing with the various Native American tribes who lived and traded in the area.

If you are of a mind to do so, there are nature walks through the trees that go down towards the river, but again, exercise caution especially during warm...

What an incredible place! The fort is an authentic recreation and the folks working there were incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and just pleasant to visit with. This fort was an extremely important part of the expansion to the west and crucial in the development of the Santa Fe Trail. At the 'Center of the Old West Universe' - I strongly recommend doing some research before going, it will help you better understand and make the place come alive! It's one of those places you can just feel the history. I'd say it's kid friendly, as long as you have a modicum of control over your kids - if possible you will want to prepare them as well as it can be an important lesson and inspiration. Little kids will have a harder time than those with some school time behind them. There is a short walk from parking which I strongly recommend taking - especially if the weather is cold, windy or hot - it will help put you into the time period and give you at least a glimpse of what life really was like. It was cold and windy when we came, call us crazy, but we bundled up and had the place to ourselves! We visited with the horses, goats and a cute chicken followed us for a bit. We were quite impressed by the detail of the fort and furninshings, but par for the area, the people inside were wonderfully friendly and helpful! We were greeted and welcomed into a period correct room with a warm fire and two very friendly gentlemen, one in period dress (Bob Kisthard, worth seeking him out!) that both looked the part and had a vast storehouse of history in that he was willing to share. His associate who was running the register spent some time chatting with us to be sure we found everything we needed, and the lady in the gift and book shop was a sheer pleasure and helped us look for more books to read up on the area. I wish I had gotten the names of these other two, but I have a feeling anyone working there will be a pleasure. I strongly recommend some pre-study, at least spend plenty of time in their interactive educational room and watch the entire video. There is a booklet to guide you through and it's very helpful. Huge thanks to the folks who put so much work into making this important historic site great! We will be back with...