fort craig national historic site

For those few who study the Civil War in New Mexico, it's probably a given that you must visit Ft Craig, positioned strategically near the battle of Val Verde.But for the average tourist, this would seem a side trip better spent elsewhere. For one thing, there's not much left to see of the old fort. It was mostly an earthen bunker construction, and time has taken considerable toll on it. Much imagination required to see it as a fort.The interpretive signs are limited, and because of its limited staff (volunteer, I believe) there is not much help for the lost soul.Still, if you do love history and the stark beauty of the Chihuahuan Desert, you might want to stop off and take it in along with the El Camino Real Visitor Center.

This was a Cival War Fort, so its amazing there's as much there as there is. Go for the last hour of daylight, ruins look best with that late light. Nice visitor center and museum.

This is a very interesting history around the civil war and the campaign in the west. It is remote and there is a trail with markers of the site.

This isn't an attraction so much as an historic site, as the name says. There is nothing much here other than the ruins of the fort. What remains is largely adobe and stone walls here and there, and a very large earthen embankment. There is a short trail through the ruins with informative signposts, but a great deal of imagination is required to envision it in its occupied state. To be fair, a tremendous amount of New Mexico history took place here, and for the history buff it is a must-see. The Battle of Val Verde was nearby, Canby was in charge of the fort at the time, and Kit Carson was a major player too. It was also a base of operations for the so-called Indian Wars. But it is a long drive from just about anywhere, the last four miles on a gravel road. There are restrooms and a tiny visitor center. When we were there, no one else was present, and the visitor center was open but nobody was around. You certainly won't be swamped by crowds here!

After I left the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, I continued south on Highway 1. After some time, I saw a sign pointing me to Fort Craig. I turned left (east) and continued a little over four miles. (Signs at four and two miles assured me I was headed in the right direction.)It was late in the afternoon when I arrived, so I was not surprised to find the visitor center closed. (There was a sign on the door saying that the visitor center is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, so if you want to see what's inside, plan your trip accordingly.)The area has a men's and a women's restroom and a couple of covered picnic areas.I started walking around, reading the many signs out on the trail. Even though it was windy and a little too cool, I was fascinated by the ruins and the information on the signs and kept walking farther into the site.There are many ruins here, and while signs ask visitors not to climb on them ( they are "unstable and irreplaceable," the signs tell us) trails go nearly all the way around them. The trails are wide and covered with small gravel. There are also many benches, offering visitors a place to sit and contemplate.The late afternoon sunlight was gorgeous when I was there, and I was sad my camera didn't want to work. That sunlight hitting the ruins was so lovely.I think this site would be fine for kids. Even if they can't climb on the ruins, there's plenty of room for them to run around.Anyone interested in the history of the Wild West should stop here. I thought it was so cool to think about forts I've seen in movies while I was in the remains of an actual one. The informational signs were very good at explaining the climate of the era and all the events that happened here. (Of course, the signs were maddeningly neutral about the extermination of the native people carried out by the U.S. government, but at least no one was referred to as a "savage" or some other racist term.)Yes, it was out of my way, but I'm glad I stopped.

I stopped by real quick before heading back to Socorro. There is only some ruins and the flag pole to see. I was there in the evening, so the mosquitos were horrible. Unless there is currently a living history reenactment going on, I would say skip this.

We were particularly interested in visiting this site as my wifes' great grandfather, Captain Jack Crawford ran the establishment after the Civil War. There is not a lot at the site, but Fred, the volunteer host was very interesting and the site, though badly decomposed was still a place to contemplate -and think about all the years when the Path along the Rio Grande was what kept New Mexico tied loosely to Mexico City...and the importance of the fort to the Union success in keeping New medico during the civil war.

Love the history. Great information boards in the visitors center, and along the trail. Sometimes have an reenactment of the civil war. Makes history come alive!

After a long dusty drive during which we talk to a lonely cow and her two babies, we reach the Fort, i.e. we see the RV of the Hosts and a couple of adobe structures, namely, a one [small] room exhibit and a modern restroom. The literature on this place tells you that it was one of the most significant Forts of the Southwest and that it played important role both in the Civil War and the Indian expeditions. The promotional materials also tell you it's a good place for photography. Having red all this, we are ill-prepared for the actual findings. The few exhibits in the room are interesting and the host is knowledgeable and passionate about history (as he should be!) and we have along talk with him. No, they don't have TV (good!) but do have Internet access. In his spare time, he fights with the rattle sneaks and tries to garden. The rest of the time they live in Florida. The only reminder of the Fort are portions of the walls of the Officers quarters and I duly photograph those. When we are leaving, I see a guy we've ran into this morning, while photographing the birds at Bosque del Apache: he must be following our trail...

This is out of the way and off Hwy 1 a couple miles but worth the visit. The site hosts were outstanding and full of information about Fort Craig and its evolvement in the Civil War. There is a small visitor center but you can walk the grounds for a quiet, learning experience.

Inspires one's imagination in recalling history from the Civil War, struggles of Native American Navajo and Apaches and the white pioneers trying to make their way into this land. Host at front was very friendly and informative. The visitor center could use some work.

You can tour the remains of Ft. Craig if you make the drive. We visited in October and the weather was just right for touring, but it might be a bit much in the heat of summer. Interesting, educational, surprising!

We stopped here on a trip to Albuquerque, no one was around when we were there. We enjoyed reading the signs, it offered a glimpse into old Western military history. As the other reviewers wrote, it is a long dusty road but we were glad we added this stop to our drive. If you enjoy military history we think you will enjoy it too. The bathrooms here were very clean and well maintained.

This is pretty remote, and a long drive over a dusty, bumpy road that will make you keep thinking "how much farther can this be?" (Or in my case: did I take a wrong turn someplace?) I'd say it's interesting for a history buff, but not someplace you'd want to drag the kids to. The host/interpreter wasn't there the day I arrived, but I still learned a lot just from wandering around and reading all the signs. These are ruins, not a reconstruction, which makes it very ghost-like. Be sure to stop at the Santa Fe Truck Stop and Diner for a green chile cheeseburger while you're nearby!

Historically, it was good to visit and see what forts were like back in the day. We visited on a Wednesday, and the visitor's center was closed. I found this odd, and had I been really interested, I would have been angry and disappointed. Because it's a national historic site, the government should give a little more thought to making it more visitor friendly; like making the visitor center open all the time or putting a sign on the highway when it's closed so visitors don't make the trip.