Coverage · 436 NPS places tracked 86 source-reviewed briefsPlanning · Seasonal windows modeled and labeledOperations · Official alerts verify at nps.govSource-reviewed · Place briefs with dated source cardsCatalog · Preview pages identity snapshot onlyListening · Procedural cues never field recordings
TOP REGIONS
PACPNW
Pacific Northwest
OlympicMount RainierCrater Lake
RKYMTN
Rocky Mountain
YellowstoneGlacierGrand Teton
DSWSW
Desert Southwest
Grand CanyonZionArches
BROWSE
Place IndexEvery tracked NPS place
Browse the place catalogOpen a seasonal timing page
Regional HubsPlaces grouped by region
Regional place listsSeasonal planning pages
State hubsPlaces grouped by state
State-by-state place lists
DesignationsBrowse by unit type
Parks, monuments, trails
National Monument · Fort Union National Monument

Fort Union National Monument

Best primary window for Fort Union: February, with March and April as strong shoulder months.

Exposed to the wind, within a sweeping valley of short grass prairie, and along the eroded Santa Fe Trail, lie the adobe walled ruins of the largest 19th century military fort in the region. From 1851 to 1891, Fort Union functioned as an agent of change, desired or not, in the New Mexico Territory and throughout the Southwest.

This page identifies Fort Union National Monument from the checked-in NPS snapshot, dated source cards, and the month windows listed here.

TI
Targeted Impressions Data TeamData Science & Intelligence
materializedData snapshot: October 27, 20264 source cards

Answer Brief

Answer-first planning signal

Best current use
Fort Union National Monument is listed as a National Monument in the checked-in NPS identity snapshot.
Best months
February, March, April
Peak crowd months
October, April, November
Current signal
Fort Union National Monument is listed as a National Monument in NM in the checked-in NPS identity snapshot. 4 source cards on this page. Data snapshot: October 27, 2026. Official NPS page: https://www.nps.gov/foun/index.htm.
Visitor takeaway
Month windows for Fort Union National Monument are listed on this page. Official NPS page: https://www.nps.gov/foun/index.htm.
What it sounds like
Fort Union audio on this page is a labeled modeled cue, not a field recording.

Summary at a glance

Fort Union National Monument is listed as a National Monument in the checked-in NPS identity snapshot. 4 source cards on this page. Data snapshot: October 27, 2026. Listed month windows: February, March, and April.

Best Months
February
↑ March, April
Budget Months
February
December, January
Peak Crowd
October
April, November
Region
desert southwest
Core Experiences
archeologyruinsfortshispanic-american-heritagemedicineGuided ToursSelf-Guided Tours - WalkingLiving HistoryHistoric Weapons DemonstrationJunior Ranger Program

Month-by-month

Month windows on this page: February, March, and April listed as the primary window; October, April, and November listed as peak months; February, December, and January listed as lower-crowd months.

Primary Window

Listed primary window: February, March, and April.

Peak months

Listed peak months: October, April, and November.

Lower-crowd months

Listed lower-crowd months: February, December, and January.

Getting there

Use the closest major airport and a regional drive plan for Fort Union.

Fort Union National Monument is located in the Northeastern portion of the state of New Mexico. 8 miles off of Interstate I-25 on State Highway NM 161. New Mexico: From Albuquerque (156 miles), Santa Fe (94 miles) or Las Vegas, NM (28 miles) take I-25 North, exit 366 at Watrous, 8 miles on NM 161. Colorado: From Denver (313 miles), Colorado Springs (243 miles) or Raton (95 miles) take I-25 South, exit 366 at Watrous, 8 miles on NM 161.

Place instrument

Clock, compare, and listen

Compare places

Season and now

Twelve-month planning is modeled from the published seasonal profile. The current hand stays unavailable until sourced alerts, hours, events, roads, and weather are fresh.

Current hand
Not available

Three listening lanes

Official NPS audio: Not provided for this snapshot.

Synthetic browser audio, never a field recording or live observation.

Jamcorder: Shared station.

Text equivalent for the seasonal place clock
MonthVisitabilityCrowd pressure
January6624
February6930
March6958
April6868
May6554
June5728
July5022
August4626
September5542
October6372
November6766
December6838

The cue is a browser-generated composition, not a field recording. How NPS Sounds modeled audio works.

Methodology

This page uses the checked-in NPS identity snapshot for Fort Union National Monument, the 4 source cards below, and the figures listed above. Data snapshot: October 27, 2026. Read the NPS Sounds methodology and about NPS Sounds for how pages are assembled.

  • Data snapshot: October 27, 2026
  • Source cards: 4

Data Behind This Reading

Source provenance

NPS identity

high

Fort Union National Monument is identified as National Monument with NPS code foun.

Available · Data snapshot: October 27, 2026

Source

Official operations

limited

Official alerts should be verified on the NPS page. This site uses a checked-in snapshot, not a live operations feed.

From the data snapshot · Data snapshot: October 27, 2026

Source

Weather and seasonality

limited

Fort Union is situated at 6,760 feet above sea level. Daytime temperatures between June and September may exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter temperatures often drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures may vary within 50 degrees in a 24-hour period. During the winter, it is not uncommon for the temperatures to drop below 0°F (-18°C.) During the summer, expect high temperatures, intense sunlight and extremely low humidity.

Modeled · Data snapshot: October 27, 2026

Source

How this page is assembled

limited

place page source cards come from the data snapshot October 27, 2026.

Data snapshot: October 27, 2026

Source

Where Fort Union National Monument fits

State, region, and designation hubs that list this place.

More Desert Southwest visit guides

Other source-reviewed places in the same region.