Agnostik
National Historic Site · AZ

Fort Bowie National Historic Site

For nearly 25 years, Fort Bowie stood at the crossroads of the Chiricahua Apache's fight to defend their ancestral homeland and the U.S. Army's westward expansion. Today, visitors embark on a 3-mile scenic loop trail traversing the ground where this profound cultural collision forever altered the course of both American and Indigenous history.

nps.gov ↗

Photos

Ruins of the fort with mountains and valley in the background.
San Simon Valley can be seen just beyond the ruins of the cavalry barracks.
Close up of a canon barrel
The mountain howitzer is a symbolic relic from the active days of Fort Bowie
Ruins of adobe building under a blue sky with white clouds.
The Post Trader's store on a spring day.
Ruined walls of the old buildings and mountains in the background
Fort Bowie was once a bustling frontier military fort. Today, the ruins offer a place of reflection.
Black and white photo of white tombstones in a cemetery, mountains in the background
Fort Bowie cemetery is accessed via the Fort Bowie Trail, and in addition to many US troops buried here, some Apache/Indeh are buried here as well.
A group gathers as a ranger displays the heliograph equipment
The heliograph was an important communications tool in the late 1880s. Stationed on top of high desert peaks, sunlight was reflected off mirrors in coded patterns to send a message miles away.

Activities

  • Hiking
  • Front-Country Hiking
  • Horse Trekking
  • Horseback Riding
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Wildlife Watching
  • Birdwatching
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store