Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site protects a quiet bend of Big Sandy Creek on Colorado’s eastern plains where, on November 29, 1864, U.S. volunteer troops attacked a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho village. Visiting is not light-hearted, but it is one of the most important and moving places in the state.

That autumn, Cheyenne and Arapaho leaders including Black Kettle, White Antelope and Left Hand had camped here with roughly 750 people, mostly women, children and elders, believing they were under the protection of the Army at Fort Lyon. At dawn, Colonel John Chivington led elements of the 1st and 3rd Colorado volunteer regiments in an attack. Over about eight hours, soldiers killed around 230 people. Some soldiers refused to take part: letters by Captain Silas Soule and Lieutenant Joseph Cramer, rediscovered in Denver in 2000, describe the atrocities and helped expose what happened.

Today the National Park Service manages the site in partnership with the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes as a place of memory and healing. Start at the orientation area and visitor contact station, where rangers give interpretive talks twice daily. The Monument Hill Trail leads to an overlook above the village site, and the Bluff Trail continues along the edge of the shortgrass prairie. Many visitors also pause at the Repatriation Area, where remains of those killed have been returned to the land. The silence, wind and endless sky make a deep impression.

This is a sacred site, so plan to be respectful: stay on trails, keep voices low and leave offerings you see undisturbed. The site is remote, 23 miles northeast of Eads, and the last 8 or more miles are dirt and sand roads that can turn slick after rain or snow, so call ahead in bad weather and fuel up in town. Insider tip: combine your visit with other southeastern Colorado history at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site near La Junta or the dinosaur tracks of Picket Wire Canyonlands.

Sand Creek is on its fall off-season schedule: from November 14 through December 31, 2026, and again January 1 to March 15, 2027, the site is open Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Standard hours are Monday and Thursday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Late November marks the anniversary of the massacre; check nps.gov/sand for programs and road conditions.