The annual Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site Evening Candlelight Tours will be presented Friday, December 2, and Saturday, December 3, this year. The 90-minute Evening Candlelight Tours provide guests the opportunity to see the fort at night with plenty of living history staff dressed in period clothing. The event includes bonfires, music, cider, and tours of the fort that provide a view into the lives of the people who once lived and worked at the trading fort on the Santa Fe Trail during the Fur Trade and the Mexican American War in the 1840s.   

This popular event requires reservations, and this year’s reservations will only be taken in advance through https://www.recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777. A per person fee will be charged for all participants, regardless of age. The first opportunity to purchase tickets will be November 2, 2022, at 8:00 am. Spaces are expected to sell out quickly.  

A printed ticket or downloaded digital ticket is required to be presented to a park representative upon check-in. Digital tickets will only be accepted if downloaded in advance of arrival since there is no wi-fi or cell phone coverage to access reservation once on site.  

Participants must be able to walk the ¼ mile paved, level trail to the fort and back, and they must be able to stand and walk the entire time of the 90-minute tour. No shuttle services are available. 

Registered guests should arrive 15 minutes prior to their reservation time. Participants arriving late for their scheduled tour time will miss their tour. Tickets cannot be substituted for another tour date or time, and there are no refunds.    

Details and updates on park operations will be posted on the park website https://www.nps.gov/beol/index.htm and on social media channels (https://www.facebook.com/NPSBentsFort).