Fort Bowie National Historic Site

Possibly the best National Historic Site I've been to in a very long time. - Great mile and half trail to access the fort. There is also an ADA road access option but I'd recommend the trail unless you can't make the hike. It's a fairly easy trail. Going back to the trailhead, take the Overlook Ridge trail located north of the visitor center. It affords better views of the site.- Lots of informative signs along the trail and at the fort describing the history (which is sordid - Cochise was framed!).- Also lots of signs identifying the various plants.- Visitor center has a great collection of artifacts and especially, old photos.- The fort itself is very interesting - many buildings (or rather, the remains of buildings) to explore. Don't forget to walk up the short trail on the west side to see the original fort.

This is certainly an interesting set up for a national historic site. You drive partially on a dirt road and then park and set out on a 1.5 mile hike with placards and historic points of interest along the way. Make sure to bring water! If you have a disability, you can skip the hike and drive in, but you have to make prior arrangements so they can open the road for you. It's due to the road crossing sensitive ecological areas so they want to limit traffic.Since I visited in winter, a lot of the critters were hibernating/less active, so I didn't see any wildlife. The hike was ok. Sometimes the trail was narrow and so you were brushing up against grass. There's no water on the trail until the visitor center so make sure you bring water. There's a spring along the way (0.25 miles from the visitor center) but it's not treated and not recommended to drink from it.The ruins are not going to be restored, rather they put concrete/plaster over it to preserve them. There's some exhibits in the visitor center explaining things, but the volunteer and rangers are better sources of information. Otherwise I wish that there were more details. There's a small gift shop as well. Restrooms are at the trailhead and at the visitor center.

Ohh Fort Bowie. I came here the day after seeing Fort Davis and there was a world of a difference between the two! Fort Bowie has a strange parking situation. Usually you can park right by the visitor's center but you had to park in a lower lot and walk on a gravel pathway to the visitor's center, takes about 10 minutes. Definitely not handicap friendly! We saw a rattlesnake on our way up to the visitor's center. The visitor's center has a small gift shop and a museum area. The museum area used passive and ambiguous language to describe the imprisonment, murder, and terror Native people experienced at the hands of soldiers based at Fort Bowie. The park ranger was super friendly and knowledgeable about the area. None of the structures at Fort Bowie have been redone in any way so it's a scattered collection of buildings that are now mostly rubble. In all, couldn't really recommend going here unless on a quest to get all the passport stamps!

I went here yesterday and was not impressed. A few days ago, I visited Fort Davis NHS, and it was much better; the buildings were maintained, even restored, and there was more to see. Ft. Bowie was a bunch of ruins. Most of them you can't even get up to. As is, there's a few foot paths through tall grass to get to pretty much anything. On the road between the parking lot and the visitors center, I encountered both a tarantula and a rattlesnake, and after that, I had no desire to walk on narrow paths through tall grass. Fortunately, the visitors center was well done (but small) and the woman who worked there was helpful and did a good job. Honestly, they need to mow the area with the ruins. I'd be more comfortable checking out the different buildings if they had. I don't think I'll be going back.

This was perhaps one of the worst forts I have been to and is in dire need of up keep. This is one of the first national historic sites that I have been to that does not have a large sign announcing it as a National Park. I can see why as I would be embarrassed to claim is as well. You have to hike over 1.5 miles on a terribly maintained trail. I recommend strong hiking boots as hiking shoes just don't cut it over the sharp pointy rocks. I have been to a lot of parks and historic sites and this was one of the worst trails. The site itself is lackluster and not worth the time or effort. There is some cool history here so I am not sure why they have failed to tell it. The only reason to come to this site it to get your passport stamp. Very disappointed, do better Arizona.

Nice national park site. Fairly large by national historic park standards. Pleasant hike to the primary historic site. Informative interpretative signage throughout site. Friendly park volunteers and rangers. Nice junior ranger program. Not the most interesting NPS site I have been to but worth stopping by if in area.

Beautiful 1.5 mile hike each way to the visitor center. Crossed water a couple times. Girls loved that part best! Well maintained trail. Not a lot of shade. Wouldn't recommend in the heat. Take plenty of water. If you can't make the hike they have Limited parking at the visitor center. We chose the hike. Water fountain and dog water bowl at the visitor center.

Location is about 12 miles outside town of Bowie, last mile is smooth dirt road, perfectly fine for a passenger car.Fort Bowie is about a 1.5 mile hike form the parking lot with interpretive displays (and a cemetery) along the way.Visitor's center is nice, stocked with artifacts from the area and general history of the fort. Bring plenty of water (there is a fountain at the center) and good hiking shoes.No fees required.

If you are a history nerd, enjoy hiking, enjoy sight seeing, or just want to explore a new area, this is the place for you. If you do this, I strongly encourage you to park on Apache Pass and hike the 1 1/2 mile hike in to the fort. On the hike in, there are a ton of plaques along the way. They identify locations of famous events, identify plants growing along the trail, or just give interesting information. What I highly recommend doing is when you look at a plaque, most of which have pictures, look up at the mountains or scenery. This blew my mind as it helped me understand that I am actually standing where history took place. It was probably the most interesting places I've ever been in my life. The hike in and out was a good distance for a little exercise. I did not go inside the visitor center, but it was beautiful. A lot of people think of an old Army fort as one or two buildings. This one was actually comparable in size with many smaller modern bases. I can't recommend this place enough and hope to find time to go back and review everything I learned someday.

First of all, traveling 10miles in a washboard gravel road is no fun. Needing to use the ADA advertised access to the visitor center would be much better coming in from the town of Bowie and driving 11 miles on pavement and then 4 miles of much better gravelroads would have been useful info. Then once we got to the ADA parking (2 spots) there were no signs telling us what trail to take to the visitor center but eventually we were directed to the right trail. The trail starts with quite a few stairs and then the trail is very, very rough and uneven walking. But once you get to the visitor center there is a very nice wheel chair ramp-as if anyone in a wheel chair couldever get within 1/2 mile of the ramp! Not worth the effort in our opinion and we are history buffs.