Dangerous Highway Crossing
Highway 177 is 60 mph with a blind spot directly across from the house. Safely use the highway underpass to the Fox Creek Trail just south of the visitor center parking lot. Be smart, stay alive.
Official NPS sourceSTATE & NATION TRAVEL
Kansas Travel.
National parks, historic sites and practical visitor updates, directly from the National Park Service.
NPS sources checked 10/3/2026, 3:09:18 PM Eastern
Travel Alerts & Closures
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Latest NPS News
Browse the archiveFort Scott National Historic Site to Host Special Naturalization Ceremony on September 16
Media outlets and the general public are invited to Fort Scott National Historic Site on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, for a Special Naturalization Ceremony at the fort’s parade ground. Check-in for ceremony participants begins at 9:30 a.m. and the ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. The Honorable Holly L. Teeter, United States District Judge for the District of Kansas, is scheduled to preside.
Official NPS sourceLabors on the Frontier
Saturday through Monday, September 5-7, 2026, Fort Scott National Historic Site will take you on an exploration of the labors and leisure on an 1840s frontier post. Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., enjoy a variety of living history demonstrations as you explore the labors on the fort. Monday will be Artillery demonstrations at 9, 10, and 11 a.m.
Official NPS sourceThe Preserve’s 21st Annual Labor Day Quilt Display
STRONG CITY, KS.- Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve will host its annual quilt display in the historic barn from September 3, 2026 through September 7, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.
Official NPS sourceFort Larned National Historic Site Announces Labor Day Weekend Event
Fort Larned NHS will host annual living history weekend September 5-7, 2026 with a theme of "hands on history."
Official NPS sourceJoin Fort Scott NHS for the Sights and Sounds of American Independence
Celebrate American independence with the sounds of cannon fire and immersion in America’s history while honoring the men and women who have defended the United States through the growth of our nation. On Saturday, July 4th, we will fire artillery, lead Fort tours, and honor all those who have fought for our freedom.
Official NPS sourceOfficial US Flag Disposal Ceremony
Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 3:30 p.m., Fort Scott National Historic Site, American Legion Post 25, and Fort Scott Fire Department will be hosting an official US Flag Disposal Ceremony. Bring your: United States, POW/MIA, State, and Service (U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard) flags to the fort between now and 3:30 p.m. Saturday and we will properly and respectfully dispose of them. Just as there’s etiquette for displaying Old Glory, there’s also etiquette for disposing of flags in a dignified manner.
Official NPS sourceNative American Dance Presentation and Native Craft Workshop
Learn Native American stories and experience dance performances by the Oklahoma Fancy Dancers. Then create traditional corn husk dolls in Native Plains fashion. All activities are free and open to the public.
Official NPS sourceFort Scott National Historic Site to Host Annual Symbols of Sacrifice
Fort Scott National Historic Site invites the public to help place flags for the annual “Symbols of Sacrifice” Field of Honor at 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 22. Individuals, families and groups are welcome to participate and stay as long as they are available.
Official NPS sourceFort Scott National Historic Site to host Annual Civil War Encampment
Fort Scott National Historic Site will host its Annual Civil War Encampment, April 18 and 19, 2026. Join us each day to experience cavalry, infantry, and artillery troops drilling and preparing for battle in the summer of 1861.
Official NPS sourcePrescribed Fire Season at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
STRONG CITY, Kan.- Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve plans to conduct prescribed fires now through April, weather conditions and moisture levels permitting. For current conditions and trail closures, please call the park, visit the Alerts section on the website, or park’s Facebook page.
Official NPS sourceThe Holiday Season at Fort Larned National Historic Site
Come celebrate the holiday season at Fort Larned National Historic site.
Official NPS source44th Annual Candlelight Tour Tickets on Sale Now
Tickets are now on sale for the 44th Annual Candlelight Tour at Fort Scott National Historic Site, set for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5–6, 2025. Tickets are available online at fofs.ludus.com for $5 per person The 45-minute guided tours depart every 15 minutes, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday and 5 to 8:45 p.m. Saturday, and end in the Grand Hall with warm drinks and snacks provided by the Friends of Fort Scott NHS.
Official NPS sourceBrown v. Board of Education NHP hosts New Citizen Ceremony, September 25, 2025
TOPEKA, Kan. – The National Park Service (NPS) hosted a New Citizen Ceremony, September 25, 2025, in collaboration with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. District Courts.
Official NPS sourceFort Scott National Historic Site to Host National Public Lands Day Event Sept. 27
Tens of thousands of volunteers across the country will join in trail maintenance, planting projects, trash pick-up, and other activities aimed at restoring and caring for public lands to celebrate the 30th Annual National Public Lands Day, September 27.
Official NPS sourceBorn into Slavery & Forged in the Fires of War
Fort Scott National Historic Site is hosting author, historical researcher, and Civil War reenactor Calvin L. Osborne on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 2 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the East Infantry Barracks, where he will share an epic story of a once-enslaved man who fought for freedom, helped shape a nation, and unknowingly laid a foundation for generations to come.
Official NPS sourceFort Scott National Historic Site to Host Special Naturalization Ceremony on Constitution/Citizenship Day Sept. 17
Media outlets and the general public are invited to Fort Scott National Historic Site on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, for a Special Naturalization Ceremony at the parade ground here.
Official NPS sourceLabors and Leisure on the Frontier
Saturday, August 30, Fort Scott National Historic Site will take you on an exploration of the labors and leisure on an 1840s frontier post. Throughout Saturday, enjoy historic yard games, a variety of living history demonstrations, and interpretive programs as you explore the labors and leisure on the fort.
Official NPS sourceCelebrate the National Park Service’s Anniversary at Fort Scott NHS
Fort Scott National Historic Site celebrates the anniversary of the National Park Service, Monday, August 25, 2025, with a series of family-friendly games, trivia, a scavenger hunt throughout the day, fort tours at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and a musical performance by the 1st Infantry Division Band from Fort Riley. Activities are appropriate for visitors of all ages and abilities.
Official NPS sourceUpcoming NPS Events
NEXT 90 DAYSNo upcoming events returned. Check the destination calendars for additional programs.
National Parks & Federal Sites
10 DESTINATIONSNational Historic Trail
California
Follow in the footsteps of over 250,000 emigrants who traveled to the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840s and 1850s: the greatest mass migration in American history. The California National Historic Trail is over 5,000 miles long and covers portions of 10 states. Step into history along more than 1,000 miles of ruts and traces from travelers and their overland wagons.
California · Colorado · Idaho · Kansas · Missouri · Nebraska · Nevada · Oregon · Utah · WyomingNational Historic Trail
Pony Express
It is hard to believe that young men once rode horses to carry mail from Missouri to California in the unprecedented time of only 10 days. This relay system along the Pony Express National Historic Trail in eight states was the most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph.
California · Colorado · Kansas · Missouri · Nebraska · Nevada · Utah · WyomingNational Historic Trail
Santa Fe
You can almost hear the whoops and cries of "All's set!" as trail hands hitched their oxen to freight wagons carrying cargo between western Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Follow the Santa Fe National Historic Trail through five states and you'll find adventure and evidence of past travelers who made this remarkable trip before you!
Colorado · Kansas · Missouri · New Mexico · OklahomaNational Historic Trail
Lewis & Clark
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail winds nearly 4,900 miles through the homelands of more than 60 Tribal nations. It follows the historic outbound and inbound routes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803-1806 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the Pacific Ocean. Follow the trail to find the people, places, and stories that make up the complex legacy of the expedition.
Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · North Dakota · Ohio · Oregon · Pennsylvania · South Dakota · Washington · West VirginiaNational Historic Trail
Oregon
Imagine yourself an emigrant headed for Oregon: would promises of lush farmlands and a new beginning lure you to leave home and walk for weeks? More than 2,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen along the Oregon National Historic Trail in six states and serve as reminders of the sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs of early American settlers.
Idaho · Kansas · Missouri · Nebraska · Oregon · Washington · WyomingNational Historical Park
Brown v. Board of Education
The path to equality has been anything but smooth. It's taken courage and dedication by everyday people coming together for a common goal to carry the country toward true equality. Parents, teachers, secretaries, welders, ministers, and students drove their communities, and the country along with them, toward justice in a series of often unsteady turns leading to the Brown v. Board decision.
KansasNational Historic Site
Fort Larned
Discover a complete and authentic army post from the 1860s -1870s! This well-preserved fort on the Santa Fe Trail shares a tumultuous history of the Indian Wars era. The sandstone constructed buildings sheltered troops who were known as the Guardians of the Santa Fe Trail.
KansasNational Historic Site
Fort Scott
Promises made and broken! Who deserves to be free? The fight for freedom! Soldiers fighting settlers! Each of these stories is a link in the chain of events that encircled Fort Scott from 1842-1873. All of the site's structures, its parade ground, and its tallgrass prairie bear witness to this era when the country was forged from a young republic into a united transcontinental nation.
KansasNational Historic Site
Nicodemus
Formerly enslaved African Americans left Kentucky at the end of the post-Civil War Reconstruction period to experience freedom in the "Promised Land" of Kansas. Nicodemus represents the involvement of African Americans in the homesteading movement across the Great Plains. It is the oldest remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi River.
KansasNational Preserve
Tallgrass Prairie
Tallgrass prairie once covered 170 million acres of North America, but within a generation most of it had been transformed into farms, cities, and towns. Today less than 4% remains intact, mostly in the Kansas Flint Hills. Established on November 12, 1996, the preserve protects a nationally significant remnant of the once vast tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Here the tallgrass makes its last stand.
KansasDestination directory sourced from NPS state listings, October 3, 2026. Official NPS directory
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