Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

Information The Park is Closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day each year.

Fort Union National Monument is CLOSED on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day each year. The closure includes all park grounds and facilities.

Information New Mexico Road Advisories

The New Mexico Department of Transportation updates its map of road advisories regularly. Visitors are encouraged to look for any possible road advisories along their route of travel beforehand.

Read the full alert

Overview

Exposed to the wind, within a sweeping valley of short grass prairie, and along the eroded Santa Fe Trail, lie the adobe walled ruins of the largest 19th century military fort in the region. From 1851 to 1891, Fort Union functioned as an agent of change, desired or not, in the New Mexico Territory and throughout the Southwest.

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

  • Guided Tours
  • Self-Guided Tours - Walking
  • Living History
  • Historic Weapons Demonstration
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Fort Union National Monument Operating Hours: The monument grounds and visitor center are generally open 7 days a week, from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM. The monument is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day.

Getting there

Fort Union National Monument is located in the Northeastern portion of the state of New Mexico. 8 miles off of Interstate I-25 on State Highway NM 161. New Mexico: From Albuquerque (156 miles), Santa Fe (94 miles) or Las Vegas, NM (28 miles) take I-25 North, exit 366 at Watrous, 8 miles on NM 161. Colorado: From Denver (313 miles), Colorado Springs (243 miles) or Raton (95 miles) take I-25 South, exit 366 at Watrous, 8 miles on NM 161.

Visitor centers

Weather

Fort Union is situated at 6,760 feet above sea level. Daytime temperatures between June and September may exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter temperatures often drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures may vary within 50 degrees in a 24-hour period. During the winter, it is not uncommon for the temperatures to drop below 0°F (-18°C.) During the summer, expect high temperatures, intense sunlight and extremely low humidity.

Phone: 505-425-8025

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

Wagons encrusted in frost
Freezing Fog in Mechanics Corral · Ron Harvey - Fort Union National Monument
Sunflower in Enlisted Barracks
Sunflower in Enlisted Barracks · Ron Harvey - Fort Union National Monument
Moon in sky above adobe remnants
Remnants of the Past · Fort Union National Monument
Fort Union Visitor Center Sign
Fort Union NM Visitor Center · Ron Harvey - Fort Union National Monument

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