Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

Information Visitor Services Available Only at the Site

All visitor Services are available at the Historic Site, 23 miles northeast of Eads, Colorado. The Center for Sand Creek Massacre Studies located in Eads, Colorado is available for appointment only research requests.

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Caution 8 Miles of Unpaved Road to Reach Park

In order to reach the Sand Creek Massacre Site, visitors must travel on at least 8 miles of unpaved roads. We are not able to guarantee road conditions of county roads 54 or W after spring storms.

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Overview

On November 29th, 1864, Chiefs Black Kettle, White Antelope, Left Hand and others were encamped with around 750 Arapaho and Cheyenne people in a valley by the Big Sandy Creek. A hope for peace, brought forth by Black Kettle was in the balance. It was a tragic day where the blood of the Cheyenne and Arapaho was shed, and a painful memory for generations of Native Americans was made.

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
  • Hiking
  • Wildlife Watching
  • Birdwatching
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site: The park is located 23 miles outside of the town of Eads, Colorado and is open five days a week. Please view the directions tab for more information.

Getting there

The Sand Creek Massacre is located in Kiowa County, Colorado. To visit the site, follow Colorado State Highway 96 east off Highway 287 near Eads, or west off Highway 385 at Sheridan Lake. Near Chivington, turn north onto County Road 54/Chief White Antelope Way or at Brandon, turn north onto County Road 59. Follow these roads to their intersections with County Road W. The park entrance is along CR W a mile east (right) of CR 54 or several miles west (left) of CR 59.

Visitor centers

Weather

Weather conditions at the park vary considerably. Temperatures range from over 100°F in summer to under 20°F in winter. Visitors can expect blowing dust and sand year-round, especially during infrequent storms. Some of these storms produce violent tornadoes or large blizzards, so prepare accordingly, and contact the on-duty Ranger to ask about road conditions at (719)-438-5916

Phone: 7194385916

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

A lone tipi frame and two wayside signs stand in a snow-covered landscape
Remembering the Past · NPS Photo/Shawn G. Gillette
The uppermost branches of leafless trees in a grassy plain are lit by the setting sun.
Sunset along Sand Creek · NPS Photo/Jeff Campbell
An expanse of winter prairie with brown grasses, leafless trees, and low clouds above.
Winter clouds over Sand Creek · NPS Photo/Jeff Campbell
A wayside in the snow-covered foreground with a winter plain stretching behind.
Snow at the Village Overlook · NPS Photo/Shawn G. Gillette
A lone tipi stands on a prairie landscape in predawn light.
Predawn light and tipi · NPS Photo
The cloud mass of a summer thunderstorm looms in the distance beyond the park entrance sign
Entrance sign and Thunderstorm · NPS/T. Jobe

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