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

You can almost hear the whoops and cries of "All's set!" as trail hands hitched their oxen to freight wagons carrying cargo between western Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Follow the Santa Fe National Historic Trail through five states and you'll find adventure and evidence of past travelers who made this remarkable trip before you!

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

  • Arts and Culture
  • Theater
  • Auto and ATV
  • Scenic Driving
  • Guided Tours
  • Self-Guided Tours - Auto
  • Hiking
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Museum Exhibits

Plan your visit

Hours

Santa Fe National Historic Trail: There are many places of history and commemoration on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail to visit. Museums, interpretive centers, and historic sites provide information and interpretation. Please contact each site before you go to obtain current information on closures, changes in hours, and fees.

Getting there

You can visit many sites of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail over the 900-mile historic route that crosses five states.

Weather

Due to the length of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail, be sure to consult local weather sources for the region you'll be visiting. Check out the forecast with the National Weather Service and search for the area you'd like to visit: weather.gov

Phone: N/A

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 wide river with green grass parks on the side.
Neosho River Crossing, Council Grove · NPS Photo
emigrant wagons pulled by oxen and horses cross the prairie with people walking alongside
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, La Junta, Colorado · NPS
desert landscape with a mountain that looks like a wagon from a distance, verdant green grasses
Wagon Mound, Mora County, New Mexico · NPS
A stone path leads into the distance next to adobe ruins.
Fort Union, New Mexico · NPS Photo

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