Sand Creek Site Offers Guided Walk for Memorial Day Weekend

Photo:NPS/Gillette

Join the staff of Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in commemoration of the Memorial Day Holiday with a free guided walk on Saturday, May 26, at 10 am. The Sand Creek Massacre is a seminal event in American Indian history, a brutal massacre that took 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho lives in a surprise attack by Colorado (US) Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War. Join Park Guide John Launius for this free guided tour, which discusses one of this nation’s most profound tragedies.

The one and one-half hour guided walk will begin at the visitor parking lot and stop at multiple points along the one-half mile long unpaved Monument Hill Trail, before concluding at the Monument Hill Overlook. Park Guide Launius will provide information and interpretation of events leading up to, during, and after the infamous massacre. Visitors are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather and wear sturdy walking shoes.

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site is open daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Entrance into the park is free. For additional information, please call the park at 719-729-3003 (Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm) or visit www.nps.gov/sand.

Directions: Sand Creek Massacre NHS is located 23 miles east of Eads, Colorado. From Eads, take Highway 287 South for 2.7 miles before turning left onto Highway 96 East. Continue through the town of Chivington, to Chief White Antelope Way (a well-maintained dirt road). Turn north on Chief White Antelope Way (CR 54) for 8 miles before turning east on County Road W. The park is located 1.3 miles east on County Road W. 

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.