Santa Fe National Historic Trail

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!

Cimarron National Grassland

Visit Cimarron National Grassland to experience the Santa Fe Trail.

Warm light from the setting sun gives an orange glow to a rock bluff overlooking a grassland.

Neosho River Crossing, Council Grove

The Neosho River in Council Grove was an important crossing on the trail.

A wide river with green grass parks on the side.

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, La Junta, Colorado

After 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.

emigrant wagons pulled by oxen and horses cross the prairie with people walking alongside

Wagon Mound, Mora County, New Mexico

Wagon 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.

desert landscape with a mountain that looks like a wagon from a distance, verdant green grasses

Fort Union, New Mexico

The Santa Fe Trail traverses through Fort Union.

A stone path leads into the distance next to adobe ruins.