This was a cool find on our trip. We stopped at the Hays visitor center and the lady there was really cool, gave us some Hays memorabilia and coupons including to the Fort. We went in the fort and it’s a cool museum where you can learn some history and there’s a fun photo op where you can dress up like a soldier. Inexpensive and cool.
I’ve now been here twice during the day and walked around and it was cool.
We went out of our way to stop here on our drive from Denver to Albuquerque and I am so glad we did. It was otherworldly amazing and an experience I think we are unlikely to ever encounter again. We spent about two hours here climbing up and down the sand dunes and taking pictures. Go read more reviews on Trip Advisor. We got there after 5 so the welcome center was closed. I would recommend get there earlier to see the visitor center and plan several hours or longer to be able to go all the way up the dunes (it does get tiring and takes some stamina). We wore our water shoes in the sand which was perfect. There’s a lot to do there and I’m sure you could spend several days if you look it up before your trip and plan a full visit.
It was a bit costly at $15 per passenger (not per car) but overall worth it for the view and the experience. We drove up and parked at mile 16 and got a free shuttle to the top. The shuttle was great as I got to experience the view instead of concentrating on driving. And the driver was super friendly and told us some cool facts about the area. We spent some time at the top taking in the amazing views. We also tried the “world famous” doughnuts at the top. The donuts themselves were meh but we enjoyed the experience. Funny enough, the donut shop was one of the only places I bought a souvenir on my whole trip as it came as a package of 2 donuts a drink (hot chocolate) and a mug. The way down we went on a short trail to an overlook near the parking lot and got some more good pictures. The way down was just as fun a drive if not better than the way up. So worth $30? Sure, especially for what will probably be a once in a lifetime experience for us.
We stopped here in the morning on our way to New Mexico. It was cool and I would have loved to spend a few hours here doing a hike, but I mentioned to a park ranger that we also planned to drive up Pike’s Peak and she told us we should leave now and do Pike’s Peak before the haze moved in and spoils the view. So we left and just drove through. It was still pretty amazing and we stopped near the end of the park to take photos at the balanced rock.
It was a little out of the way but 100% worth it.
It was an interesting short stop.
We had a great time here. With COVID 19 they have various protocols in place for everyone’s health and safety and it really made the experience enjoyable. We were only four people on the observation platform at the top of the arch. And there is a fairly large museum at the bottom that we didn’t have time to fully go through. It was a great day and we got some great photos.
This was a great stop. We learned a lot about the history of the track and the cars. And there are so many cars on display. There is a 20 minute film that gives you the main briefing you want to hear.