Fort Union National Monument

This was a very enjoyable stop on our NM roadtrip with very clean bathrooms. We spoke with two friendly, helpful rangers. The whole family enjoyed the one mile walk and educational signs. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the Junior Ranger program as well. We stayed about 2 hrs all together.

What a wonderful look at the past. You really get a feel of how westward expansion was taking place and how quickly the nation was changing in the mid 1800's Bring a hat and sunscreen as other have suggested. Unfortunately, the park store was doing inventory during visiting hours, so we were unable to purchase any souvenirs.

Had a great self guided tour of the grounds and a little movie in the visitor center. We nearly had the place to ourselves so it was a very cool experience.

Nice location to stop. Beautiful countryside and the ruins are nice. Park staff were friendly, but a little dismissive of the kids in their Jr. Ranger program. Very little space for RVs, if you are traveling with them and park staff won't let you take up multiple spaces to park They let us park in the entry area and walk in.

This is actually three forts, although only the last remains standing. Constructed largely of adobe, the fort, along with the hospital were some of the largest adobe structures built. Sitting on the Santa Fe trail, this outpost protected settlers, travelers, and many of the native Americans from each other and invasions from neighboring Mexico. A self guided tour provides substantial detail about the buildings and life at the fort.

Lots to learn here, the site housed 3 forts back in time, each with its own fascinating history. It’s also very cool to look at! We spent time walking around with a self guided map. It was a very windy, early April, day - there’s nothing to cut down the wind, so very cold. Wear layers. The rangers were very knowledgeable and patient in answering questions. Very accessible ♿️, well maintained grounds. Plenty of parking, clean bathrooms.

Great stop! Rich history and free, can't beat that! Trailer/RV/truck parking available

Amazing site. It is very well maintained and easily accessible. There are two spaces for parking travel trailers. This was a wonderful stop to stretch our legs and marvel at what people could build in the 1800's. The staff were very knowledgeable and pleasant. The historical display inside was great. Don't pass by if you are in the area. You won't regret stopping.

Kids turning into internet zombies on the road trip? Or you Nice break from I 25, only 8 miles west of the highway? This historic landmark has nice toilets as well as a short 45 minute interpretative tour, and a longer 1.5 hour tour. Rangers also have a few special events planned throughout the day. Stretch your legs and mind!

The monument itself was very worth visiting. The park attendant, however, is extremely rude, obnoxious, to almost the point of being concerned for our safety at times He should not be around people!!! He refused to give his name. So we took a picture as we left the park, of him going to his car. If you go here be aware of this park employee - paid with your taxpayer dollars.

In the Southwest, the roads are long, and drives can be tiring. Trips to even the closest cities mean a drive of at least 50 miles (ex. Santa Fe to Albuquerque). So when you find yourself in that situation, the recreational stop is never a bad idea. Just past Las Vegas, New Mexico there's such a stop. It's a historical site that must be explored, a monument that must be seen, honored, and celebrated. It's the Fort Union monument. The Fort itself is located about 5 miles off the main road, but the drive to it is magnificent. The sights, and beauty of the open space will motivate you to get out the car and snap one to a million pictures. It will make you dream of owning a ranch on that there, and why not, the land is magical. As soon as you make it off the road you realize why this land was chosen to build there. The mountains, the open space, the grass, the trees, all make for the most delightful and picturesque of places. When it comes to the monument itself, the facilities are well maintained. There's a visitors center where a guide welcomes you and tells you a bit about the history of the Fort. They also offer guided tours at specific times of the day, but since I didn't arrive at one of those times, and wasn't willing to wait, I settled for asking the guide a few questions and went ahead to explore by myself. The old adobe walls are a must see. If you play close attention, you'll discern how they were put together. The rooms are tiny, the hospital quarters incredibly small. You can't help but feel blessed to have a 3k sq. ft. home for yourself in our day age. And it puts into perspective why you still complain about not having enough space. But It's not just about what you see, or the few items that have been preserved, but about the location. It's about standing where so many men once stood, where so many men once fought, and died together with the hopes of populating this land. It's a small time machine into a way of life long gone, but if you listen closely, a way of life that let's you see how fortunate you are, to be alive, in this day and age, with the little or the plenty you have.

Fort Union was just one of many national park sites on my recent national parks tour of New Mexico. In spite of COVID, things were relatively up and running. They actually would allow you in the gift shop but would not allow you to use the stamps nor would they stamp your passport book for you. They just gave out stamps on a sheet of paper instead. Staff was very friendly and helpful, if a bit standoffish with the whole situation. There was a short guided walk out to the trailhead with an explanation of the full lay of the land. The fort was actually in two other places within sight of where it finally ended up. Out in the middle of nowhere, on top of a hill and in view of miles of vast rolling hills and plains, this must certainly have been a welcome sight to behold as you approached on the Santa Fe Trail back in the 1800s. You can wander the grounds and take cool photos of what little remains of the original fort. After closing up shop in 1891 and until it became instated as a national park site, it was ransacked and relieved of almost all of what was left. But until then, it seemed a relatively luxurious place to be for its time and location. You owe it to yourself to take a step back in time with a visit here.

This place is really cool to see and the walking around the area isn't too bad. It's a nice place to go to and see the history of expanding out west and a lot of the original structures are still intact.

There are a number of ruins in New Mexico this was one I had not visited yet. On a recent trip I took time to visit. I was glad I did it. The ruins are so n a larger area. They have done well to preserve them and have developed some walking paths. If you go during the summer take water the walking path is a mile round trip. The staff is very helpful and a wealth of information. I would go again.

Fort Union National Monument is very interesting and well worth visiting. It was remarkable to think of people living out there, in the middle of nowhere really. I enjoyed exploring and photographing the ruins. There was a lot to see and you should take some time to see it. Wander around, read the great, informational cards, and visit the visitor's center. Fort Union National Monument preserves an important part of the American West.

This is a great place to learn about the Sante Fe trail and see one of the biggest western forts of the 19th century. It served as a supply center for the surrounding states. The site is 8 miles off the highway and it's a beautiful little drive. As you get close to the location you can see the fort ruins in the distant. It doesn't take long to explore this historic fort. The visitor center is small and there is a nice 1 mile trail that takes you around the fort ruins. The rangers at all the parks are very knowledgeable and super helpful. If you have children, or if you don't, pick up a junior ranger book to learn more about the site by doing activities. When you finish you get an awesome junior ranger badge! We enjoyed our experience here!

We are traveling along when i see signs to the Fort Union Monument: I think "great, we can stretch our legs". So glad we did! We were greeted by a very friendly park ranger who told us some history and welcomed our dog along also! This place is so interesting. We are from the east, so this was extremely cool to see. We took a nice stroll through the grounds with our dog and got some really neat pictures. Go if you can!

I located this National Park after I visited the Sister Park ( Pecos Ruins National Park)...it was a Spiritual Experience for me. Call me crazy, I believe I felt connected to the actual folks who resided in these locations when they were teaming with life. Wether I was somehow some type of atuned to their Spirits at the locations, I can not make this claim, but it seemed this way to me. I don't feel I need to prove it, I am just sharing my experience. There was a Civil War Tour regarding an obscure Nattle near Pecos Ruins, which was a devastating loss for the Confedarate Army. The tour guide expressed how this Victory for the Union Army may have turned this Union Victory to actually put a significant result to Win the Civil War, as the Confederate Army had high stakes invested to capture Union Fort and move North to capture COLORADO with the support of the Morman Community. The story is amazing. If the Civil War Tour in Pecos Ruins is still available, don't pass it up. It was what inspired me to visit Union Fort Monument National Park. These locations are a must if you are in New Mexico.

I randomly came across this place on my road trip to Santa Fe. I saw a sign for it while I was driving, and figured I would check it out - after passing by a bunch of sunflowers and tumbleweed, I arrived at Fort Union and was greeted by an extremely friendly park ranger who welcomed me to New Mexico. There is a self-guided trail that takes you through the ruins of Fort Union, and for $3, you also get to visit the small museum on site. On a beautiful Southwestern day, it was great to be able to walk among the ruins and get up close to a piece of history.

Fort Union National Park offers the history aficionado a golden opportunity to experience firsthand one of the largest supply forts built and it is huge! The visitor's center guides the tourist through the different stages of buildup and decline the fort faced in its time so we can see the site as it truly was. This was a bustling center of activity (much larger than any fort I've seen where I'm from) and it sits directly on the old Santa Fe Trail so traveling pioneers streamed through in great numbers. The extensively numbered crumbling adobe structures allude to the immense number of people who worked and lived here to logistically keep the many other military forts in the southwest supplied. This is a place where you could easily spend a half day or more exploring the ruins and learning the buildings purpose. I was enthralled by the scenery, the architecture and layout of the park and the buildings provided an excellent photo opportunity galore. Anyone who is interested in early US history should love seeing this great place in person. If in the area or passing through, do stop by!