Fort Smith National Historic Site
Arkansas, Oklahoma
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
7 h fully dark
Crowds
low
Entrance
Free entry
Explore life on the edge of frontier and Indian Territory through the stories of soldiers, the Trail of Tears, scandals, outlaws, and lawmen who pursued them. From the establishment of the first Fort Smith on December 25, 1817, to the final days of Judge Isaac C. Parker's jurisdiction over Indian Territory in 1896, Fort Smith National Historic Site preserves almost 80 years of history.
Activities
Topics
No entrance fee.
Hours & seasons
The Gallows and Commissary are open during Visitor Center hours, which may vary by season. Please check Visitor Center Hours for more information. Park grounds are open daily from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset.
Hours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 4797833961
✉ fosm_parkinfo@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec
Typical crowds: low
Weather now: ☀️ Clear, 102°F
☁️ 102°/79°
🌦️ 100°/75°
🌦️ 103°/73°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
31%
Feb
38%
Mar
40%
Apr
56%
May
62%
Jun
66%
Jul
94%
Aug
72%
Sep
100%
Oct
53%
Nov
51%
Dec
29%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Live conditions
Parade Ground ↗inactive
First Fort ↗inactive
Things to do
Park Passport Stamps at Fort Smith NHS
Explore the Parade Ground
Become a Fort Smith BARK Ranger
Become a Fort Smith Junior Ranger
Walk the River Loop Trail
Visitor centers
Visitor Center, Gallows, and Commissary
Accessibility
46 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Parking
3rd Street Parking · 21 accessible spacesaccessible
Main Parking · 47 accessible spacesaccessible
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Fort Smith National Historic Site — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Fort Smith National Historic Site — each spans a cross-park journey.
Isaac C Parker
— Fort Smith, Fort Smith National Historic Site, CongressmanPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Fort Smith National Historic Site
🎫 Visitor Center, Gallows, and Commissary
Places to see
1st and 2nd Jail
audio
Abandoned and Forgotten
audio
America's National Park Store at Fort Smith
audio
Barracks, Courthouse, Jail
audio
Bass Reeves Statue
audio
Bastion
audio
Cannon
audio
Cistern
audio
Commissary & Frisco Overlook
audio
Courthouse and courtroom
audio
Defending Fort Smith
audio
Defending Freedom
audioAudio & media
🎧
🎬
🖼
Learn more
Recipients of the 2014 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards
Meet the national and regional winners of the 2017 Freeman Tilden Award; the National Park Service's highest award for excellence in interpretation.
Bass Reeves was born enslaved and died a respected lawman, having served in Indian Territory (and later Oklahoma), Arkansas, and Texas. His career stretched from the U.S. Federal Court for the Western District of Arkansas in 1875 until two years after Oklahoma gained statehood in 1907. Read about his life and career in this site bulletin.
In 1895, when Cherokee Bill was lodged in the overcrowded and understaffed federal jail at Fort Smith, he attempted to escape. Read the story in this site bulletin.
Cherokee Bill's trial for the murder of Ernest Melton began on February 26, 1895. Read about it in this site bulletin.
Probably the most famous outlaw that was hanged on the Fort Smith gallows was Crawford Goldsby, alias Cherokee Bill. Read about his run-ins with the law in this site bulletin.
Federal Court: Western District of Arkansas & Indian Territory 1872-1896
Route 66 and the National Park Service have always had an important historical connection. Route 66 was known as the great road west and after World War II families on vacation took to the road in great numbers to visit the many National Park Service sites in the Southwest and beyond. That connection remains very alive and present today. Take a trip down Route 66 and Find Your Park today!
Ranger School
Park-grounded courses you can learn with the Ranger.
How Fort Smith National Historic Site connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
Park
Activity
Topic
State
VisitorCenter
PassportStamp
ParkingLot
ThingToDo
Similar parks
Share activities & topics with Fort Smith National Historic Site.
