Santa Fe National Historic Trail

National Park Service, Kansas.

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!

Nearby Activities

  • Auto Touring
  • Historic & Cultural Site

Directions

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

Additional Information

  • Santa Fe National Historic Trail Map
  • Santa Fe National Historic Trail Official Website

Photo Gallery

  • Fort Union, New MexicoThe Santa Fe Trail traverses through Fort Union.
  • Neosho River Crossing, Council GroveThe Neosho River in Council Grove was an important crossing on the trail.
  • Cimarron National GrasslandVisit Cimarron National Grassland to experience the Santa Fe Trail.
  • Arrow Rock, MissouriArrow Rock Ferry Landing, at the northern extension of 2nd Street in Arrow Rock, Missouri, is where westward migrants crossed the Missouri River at this spot beginning about 1816.
  • Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, La Junta, ColoradoAfter spending weeks crossing hundreds of miles of lonely and desolate prairie, a trading post appeared: a welcome respite where travelers could repair their wagon and trade for coffee, sugar, blankets, and ammunition.
  • Wagon Mound, Mora County, New MexicoWagon Mound was a landmark on the Santa Fe Trail. Coming from Raton, New Mexico, travelers looked for this wagon-like hill to know that they were close to Santa Fe. Leave Interstate 25 at the village of Wagon Mound in Mora County to find this landmark.
  • Fort Larned National Historic Site, KansasFort Larned was established in 1859 near the midpoint of the Santa Fe Trail. Throughout the 1860s Fort Larned served as an outpost on the vast Kansas prairie, protecting mail coaches and freight caravans on the trail during the turbulent Indian Wars.
  • Fort Union National Monument, Watrous, New MexicoEstablished in 1851 to protect this vital international trade route, Fort Union ensured that Santa Fe Trail commerce traveling over 900 miles from the United States (Missouri) to Mexico (Santa Fe) reached its destination safely.

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