NPS Website
WHAT IS IT?Ruins of a remote fort built in 1851 to protect travelers along the Santa Fe Trail from hostile Indians.
BEAUTY (6/10)
Fort Union NM is very photogenic, as evidenced by its appearance on the 2003 National Parks Pass. The big blue skies and ribbony clouds match well with the abandoned adobe and withering wood wheels. Michael took about 30 shots in an attempt to emulate the Parks Pass winner. Even if you have not seen that photo, you will probably end up shooting the same wood axle; it is a rare physical landmark amid the fort’s desolate ruins.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (3/10)
The repeated mantra at Fort Union NM is that it was once the “largest U.S. military installation on the 19th-century southwestern frontier”. There are a lot of qualifiers in that sentence, none of which elaborate on the Fort’s historical significance. We learned little about Fort Union both because of the poor educational facilities and since nothing much ever happened here.
CROWDS (6/10)
We were it.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (3/5)
The Site is eight miles west of Interstate 25, Exit 366 along New Mexico route 161. The nearest city that you might be vacation to is Santa Fe, N.M., about 80 miles to the southwest. Las Vegas, N.M. (no gambling palaces here) is 20 miles to the south. A shade deficient walking trail leads through the forsaken fort. No trees also means lots of wind. Who knows how we kept our hands steady enough to snap photos.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (4/5)
The bookstore carried lots of titles specific to the Site and presumably found at few other places. 19th-century brass uniform insignias are on sale for only $4.
COSTS (3/5)
Entry is $3 per person or free with the National Parks Pass. Your admission is good for Pecos NHP, located 60 miles to the southwest.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (1/5)
No Rangers at all.
TOURS/CLASSES (2/10)
No Ranger tours, no introductory video and an ancient Mission ’66-era Museum dominated by two creepy mannequins, one a Buffalo soldier, the other a nattily mustachioed Union trooper. There is no self-guided trail brochure and most of the outdoor audio panels were broken. In addition, the operational panels were too quiet to be heard over the whipping wind. We learned zilch at Fort Union.
FUN (3/10)
We had a good time taking pictures and bracing ourselves against the strong winds. We have fun doing just about anything.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (2/10)The Site is a long day trip from Santa Fe, N.M. and not nearly as compelling as the numerous tourist destinations nearby that old Spanish city, i.e. Pecos NHP, Bandelier NM, Los Alamos, Taos and even Albuquerque.
Fort Union NM was our least favorite Santa Fe Trail-related Site. The ruins look nice and make for stunning pictures but explain little about frontier soldier life and the commerce along the Santa Fe Trail.
If its Santa Fe Trail soldier life you are looking for, go to Fort Larned NHS in Kansas, that fort looks just as it did 150 years ago. If you want to learn about the Santa Fe Trail frontier trade, go to Bents Old Fort NHS in Colorado. If you want to go to a place called Fort Union, go to Fort Union Trading Post NHS in North Dakota.
TOTAL 33/80
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