October 5, 2022

Tourism

December 2018 – One for the Money Two for the Road

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Where is Fort Union National Monument Located?

Fort Union is located approximately 30 miles north of Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Website link: Fort Union
Cost: free
Hours vary seasonally
Short film in the visitor center about the history of the fort
Self-guided or ranger-led tours of the grounds
Night sky programs
When to go? Anytime

Fort Union National Monument is 150 miles from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and since Albuquerque has a major airport, we will start our adventure from there.

Prairie near Fort Union. Imagine a wagon train ambling along the Santa Fe Trail here. Aside from the barbed wire fences, this scene probably hasn’t changed much in the last 150 years.

Getting There

⇒From Albuquerque take I-25 north toward Santa Fe. At Santa Fe continue on I-25/US 84 east toward Glorietta and Pecos, New Mexico.

Bonus stop: Pecos National Historical Park. We love this park so much that we have recommended it on our site before. Plan to spend a couple of hours taking the self-guided tour to see the remains of a pueblo that was built around 800 AD. The visitor center museum is also very interesting and definitely worth a visit. Here’s a link to the park’s website: Pecos National Historical Park.

Pecos Mission Church – built in 1717. Pecos National Historical Park, New Mexico

⇒Continue northeast on I-25/US 84 toward Las Vegas, New Mexico, then continue north to the town of Watrous. Follow the signs from Watrous to Fort Union. Drive time between Albuquerque and Fort Union: 2.25 hours.

Hotels, restaurants, and RV/tent camping are available 30 minutes away in Las Vegas, New Mexico

Destination: Fort Union National Monument

Fort Union’s Officer’s Row

Establishment of the Fort

The “first” Fort Union was established in 1851 to be a supply depot and living quarters for soldiers serving to protect travelers and traders on the Santa Fe Trail. With the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, better living conditions were needed, and the fort’s original wooden buildings were refurbished or rebuilt with adobe and brick. Larger supply warehouses were added at that time, and Fort Union began providing supplies to all the forts in the region. This version, the remains of which we see today, is referred to as the “third” Fort Union.

Mechanic’s Corral. This is where they stored and worked on the vehicles of the day and took care of the horses that pulled them. Outside view of the Mechanic’s Corral

Fort Union’s hospital was once the largest and finest medical facility between Kansas and California, serving soldiers and civilians alike. After the Civil War, the post continued to operate with soldiers in place to protect the Santa Fe Trail. The hospital continued to operate during this time too. However, with the advent of the railroad, the Santa Fe Trail became less traveled, and the fort was abandoned in 1891. Some wheel ruts on the trail can still be seen at Fort Union.

Fort Union’s Post Commander’s Quarters

Visiting the Park

The visitor center is the first stop, along with the new museum that opened in August 2022. The trailway through the fort is approximately a mile long, the walking paths are level, and benches can be found along the way. We recommend bringing plenty of water. There is little to no shade, so if you’re visiting during the hot summer months plan to visit early in the day. Pack a lunch to enjoy at one of the picnic tables outside of the visitor center.

During certain times of the year visitors may find living historians reenacting life at the fort. Check the website’s events calendar for dates. While there, look for the pronghorns and other wildlife that live in and around the park.

For those wanting a little more history, visit the town of Watrous, New Mexico which is just 12 minutes from Fort Union. Watrous (La Junta) is a national historic landmark district located on the Santa Fe Trail. Here is a link to the national park service’s webpage: Watrous (La Junta) National Historic Landmark.

Information about the Santa Fe Trail can be found here: Santa Fe National Historic Trail.

Old aerial photo of Fort Union taken from a wayside sign in the park. Shown prominently in this photo is the “second” Fort Union designed in a traditional star shape of dirt and ditches as an effort to keep the Confederates at bay during the Civil War.

Thank you for joining us on our Fort Union National Monument road trip! Have you been to Fort Union or other historic forts? If so, we would love to hear about your visit. Comments can be left below.

Would you like to visit more national monuments? Click to view these interesting sites:

Scotts Bluff National Monument

Colorado National Monument

Fort McHenry National Monument and Shrine

Travel safe, travel smart, and we will see you down the road.

Mike and Kellye

As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) We aren’t paid for our recommendations, and we only recommend our own tried and true vendors and venues. Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

Website: Colorado National Monument
Campground available for RVs and tents
Backcountry camping with permit
Scenic drive
On or off trail hiking
Biking
Backpacking
Regulated climbing
When to go? Anytime

Colorado National Monument is located between the cities of Grand Junction and Fruita, Colorado. Grand Junction has a regional airport serviced by a few national and regional carriers, so that is where our trip is going to start. Grab your camera and get ready to be amazed!

Getting There

⇒From Grand Junction, take Highway 340 (Broadway Avenue) west to the park entrance. Drive time: approximately 20 minutes.

⇒Alternate Route: from Fruita and I-70, take Highway 340 south to the park entrance and visitor center. Drive time: approximately 15 minutes.

For additional information about the area, here’s a helpful link: Visit Grand Junction.

Monument Canyon

Destination: Colorado National Monument

Rim Rock Drive winds through the park from east to west for 23 miles and is the best way to see the highlights of the monument. We suggest taking the drive and stopping at the visitor center before trekking off to hike or backpack in the park. The scenery is spectacular (excellent photo ops), and there are about fifteen viewpoints or overlooks along Rim Rock Drive. Stop at all of them to see the unique rock formations and deep canyons that make this monument so breathtakingly beautiful.

Cold Shivers Point Fallen Rock

Travel tip: Rim Rock Drive is a two-lane road that has twists, turns, drop offs, and hills. Be cautious. Stick to the speed limit and watch out for the bicyclists who also use this road.

“Wow” moments at every viewpoint! Coke Ovens Formation

When driving or hiking through the monument, you would never know that there were busy cities just a few minutes away. Come to Colorado National Monument to get away from the hustle and bustle. Feast your eyes on its beauty, while taking a break to enjoy nature. Be on the lookout for bighorn sheep here, as well as collared lizards and a variety of birds that also make their homes in the park. Some visitors may be lucky enough to spot a golden eagle or peregrine falcon.

Interesting shapes and beautiful colors!

The photo above was taken at the visitor center. This vista can be viewed anytime online via the park’s webcam. Log on to see how the seasons and changing light affect the view. See our Places/Links page above for the link under the National Park Webcams section and scroll down to Colorado National Monument.

Up close and personal

Thank you so much for joining us! We hope you will return to our site for more great American road trips. If you have questions or comments, by all means, leave one. We love hearing from you. We will conclude this post with a shot of the interesting terrain south of Grand Junction along US Highway 50.

Until the next trip…

Travel safe, travel smart, and we will see you down the road.

Mike and Kellye

Cold and lonely highway

We decided to do Quick Stops to showcase places that merit a nod, shout out, or round of applause but to which we can’t devote an entire post. As we’ve said before, we will drive a long way out of the way or completely change up our itinerary to go see something that piques our interest. (We must be channeling Clark Griswold. Thankfully, neither of us has an Aunt Edna!) Some of the places we plan to feature in the Quick Stops posts will be fascinating, some will be fun, and some will be funky! Additionally, some locations will be on the beaten path, some will be off of it, and some may just be a photo we like, such as the desolate road above. The locations will be posted at random, and there will be no particular order or itinerary. We can’t wait to share them with you!

Just get in the car and we’ll be on our way…

First Stop: Monument Rocks (Kansas)

Monument Rocks is about 28 miles south and east of Oakley, Kansas off of US Highway 83. The landmark is on private land, and some of the roads to get there are unnamed, graded dirt ranch roads. These roads can be very bumpy and muddy, but under normal conditions it is well worth the trip to see the rocks. Take a look…

Truly out in the middle of nowhere, these fascinating rocks are the remains of an ancient sea bed.

Second stop: Carhenge (Nebraska)

Carhenge is located about four miles north of Alliance, Nebraska. This funky tourist stop is on private property, but thanks to the property owners there is no entrance fee. The sculpture can be viewed from outside the fence that surrounds it. Check it out…

Other sculptures at Carhenge

It’s a fact, Jack!

Below is the sign for the Annie Oakley Motel in Oakley, Kansas. Annie Oakley was not from Kansas (she was from Ohio), but she was a performer in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. Buffalo Bill Cody once called Oakley, Kansas home. And now you know…

That does it for this week. Thank you for joining us! Come back next week for another exciting post. You never know where we are going to take you! If you liked our first Quick Stops post, leave us a message and let us know we should keep doing them. If you didn’t like it, tell us that, too. Until the next trip…

Travel safe, travel smart, and we will see you down the road!

Mike and Kellye

Lava field. The white dome in this picture is called a kipuka.

Website: Craters of the Moon
Visitor center hours vary by season
Campground in the park
Backcountry camping permitted in the preserve
Scenic drive
Hiking
Picnic areas
Caving
International Dark Sky Park
When to go: anytime.

Lava flow

Getting There

Idaho Falls, Idaho, which is 130 miles from Craters of the Moon, has a regional airport that is served by a few national carriers. We are going to start our trip from there, so get your camera ready and let’s hit the road!

→Note: Salt Lake City, Utah has the closest major airport and is 300 miles from Craters of the Moon.

⇒From Idaho Falls take Highway 20 west toward Arco, Idaho.

Bonus stop: EBR-1 National Historic Landmark. For those wanting to satisfy their inner geek, this stop is for you. EBR-1 was the first nuclear reactor to generate electricity, and it is located at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Unfortunately, the museum is only open only during the summer.

Travel tip: West of INL on the South side of Highway 20, there is a rest area (with nice restrooms) that has some outside displays with great information about the region. We recommend spending a few minutes there learning about Nuclear Reactors, the Eastern Snake River Plain, the Great Rift, the Lost Rivers, and other interesting topics.

Just one example of the beauty of Idaho

Below is one of several buttes (volcanic perhaps?) along Highway 20 between Idaho Falls and Arco. This region has many lava flows, cones, rifts, and other volcanic features, most of which are contained in the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. The combined lava flows of the monument and preserve cover over 600 square miles. That’s a lotta lava! Check it out on Google Earth sometime.

⇒Continue west on Highway 20 to the town of Arco, Idaho.

Bonus stop: Arco, Idaho.

Stop in Arco to see Number Hill, and we recommend stopping for lunch at Pickle’s Place, which has good food in a retro diner atmosphere. We ate at the counter with a local man who told us the story of the Apollo astronauts coming to Arco in the 1960s to train at Craters of the Moon National Monument. Hearing his story was one of the highlights our trip.

⇒From Arco take US Highway 26/93 west 19 miles to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve Visitor Center. Drive time between Idaho Falls and Craters of the Moon: 2 hours.

Travel tip: as with many remote sites, GPS systems may not be reliable for directions to this park. Refer to your road atlas if in doubt.

Destination: Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

The first stop is the visitors center where films, displays, and exhibits explain the characteristics of the park. Learn to identify the many different types of lava, and find out if the volcanoes are still active. The pictures below show some of the features of the park.

Spatter cones Inferno Cone Trail Lava flow and cinder cones Spatter Cone We love the contrasting landscapes of this shot! (This type of lava is called a’a.)

Thank you for joining us on our visit to Craters of the Moon. We post our journeys simply because we love sharing them with you. Our hope and mission is for you to be inspired by our photos and guided by our experiences in order to seek your own adventures in the wonderful national parks and beautiful cities of our great country. For those who can’t “just get in the car”, we love that we can provide you with virtual travel experiences. Please leave us a message below and tell us about your own travels. We would love to hear from you. Until the next trip…

Travel safe, travel smart, and we will see you down the road!

Mike and Kellye

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