Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

All clear. The managing agency, the National Weather Service and wildfire reporting show no current alerts.

Overview

Discover a complete and authentic army post from the 1860s -1870s! This well-preserved fort on the Santa Fe Trail shares a tumultuous history of the Indian Wars era. The sandstone constructed buildings sheltered troops who were known as the Guardians of the Santa Fe Trail.

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

  • Food
  • Picnicking
  • Guided Tours
  • Self-Guided Tours - Walking
  • Living History
  • Historic Weapons Demonstration
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Park Film
  • Museum Exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Park Grounds and Historic Buildings: Staff begin closing the grounds and visitor center at 4:30 p.m. The parking lot gate is closed and locked for the night at 5 p.m.

Getting there

Fort Larned National Historic Site is located on KS Hwy 156, six miles west of Larned, Kansas.

Visitor centers

Weather

Central Kansas has a four-season climate. Winter tends to be cold and dry, with average daytime highs below 40F (4C). Foehn winds blowing across the Great Plains from the Southwest periodically raise temperatures above 80F (27C). Unsettled warmer air, higher winds, and severe weather arrive in the spring and often last through early July. Late summer days hover above 90F (32C) and readings over 100F (38C) are not uncommon. Fall is variable but generally milder with showers changing to snow and ice later.

Phone: 620-285-6911

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

Sandstone army buildings arranged in a square around parade ground.
Aerial Photo of Fort Larned · NPS Photo
Man in leather apron hammering hot steel in blacksmith shop.
Blacksmith Demonstrations at Fort Larned · NPS Photo
Men in 19th century U.S. Army uniforms lower an American flag.
Flag Retreat · NPS Photo
Man in 19th century U.S. Army uniform interacts with visitors in period barracks.
Visitors in the Barracks · NPS Photo
African American men in 19th century cavalry uniforms on horseback.
Buffalo Soldiers · NPS Photo

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