I exited Interstate 10 at the town of Bowie and took Apache Pass Road south to Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Near Fort Bowie the asphalt road turned into smooth packed dirt. The first thing you see when arriving from the north is a parking lot, restroom, canopy for shade and a trailhead sign. A visit to the ruins of Fort Bowie and the visitor center requires a 1-1/2 mile walk along a foot trail. Along the trail are an interpretive signs noting the remains of a miners cabin, the Butterfield stagecoach station, and the Chiricahua Apache Indian Agency building. The trail passes a replica of an Apache wickiup, the fort cemetery, and Apache spring, a consistent source of water and the primary reason that all this activity occurred in the area. There are also interpretive signs that note historical events that occurred in Apache Pass. The trail also passes

As I approach the ruins there was a path leading off to the right towards the ruins of the site of the first Fort Bowie. I planned to look at the site while returning to my car but missed the opportunity when I took an alternate return path back to my car.

It was around 2:00 p.m. when I arrived at the site. The visitor center is a beautiful building built on a raised platform with a covered porch circling the perimeter. As I entered the building the first thing I see is pretty ranger sitting behind a desk. There are plenty of display cabinets containing interesting artifacts. There are several mannequins dressed with the clothing of the period.

Fort Bowie does not look to be in a favorable defensive position. There are several hills that are topographically higher and would make good vantage points to fire down on the fort. One of the first questions I asked the ranger is why the fort is built a distance away from the spring. It seems that getting water would become a dangerous proposition. The ranger said the soldiers retrieved water with a wagon loaded with barrels. The spring later became contaminated and an alternate source farther up the canyon was used to get water. Eventually they were able to pump water to the fort.

Based on the old photographs on display, Fort Bowie had a substantial number of buildings surrounding a center parade ground. It did not have the stereotype perimeter wall made of logs as seen in old movie westerns. When the fort was abandoned, the wood was reportedly salvaged and the remaining adobe structures were left to erode away. It looks like the remaining adobe walls have been coated and/or whitewashed as a protective measure.

A cannon sits in one corner of the visitor center porch. When I walked over to take a picture I noticed a sign posted behind the visitor center. The sign noted the start of a return trail that leads up a small hill for a panoramic view of Fort Bowie. A photograph is posted near the top of the hill showing what the fort as it looked in 1894.

I trudged back to the car and drove off to the southwest towards Chiricahua National Monument. Portion of the road was a combination of asphalt, smooth dirt and dirt/small gravel with a shallow washboard surface. I stopped to take a picture of the Fort Bowie sign that is located near Apache Pass.