When planning a trip to De Baca County, you can choose from a range of focuses: the history surrounding Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner, or trails and waterways along the Pecos River and at Sumner Lake. Consider whether you mainly want to visit historic sites or make time for walks. When searching for a vacation rental, this focus can help guide your choice.
Billy the Kid: Museum and Grave
The Billy the Kid Museum is in Fort Sumner on Highway 60-84, two miles east of downtown. Items on display include Billy the Kid’s rifle, chaps and spurs, the original wanted poster, and locks of hair. The collection also includes more than 150 firearms of various ages. Personal belongings and an extensive collection of firearms are presented side by side, offering two different ways to explore the museum’s history.
Billy the Kid was killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett and buried at Fort Sumner’s old military cemetery, between his companions Tom O’Folliard and Charlie Bowdre. Visiting his grave is free. If you plan to include the cemetery in your itinerary, check whether it is open to visitors before you arrive.
Bosque Redondo: History and Visitor Information
In 1863, about 10,000 Navajos were forced to make the 450-mile “Long Walk” through New Mexico to the Bosque Redondo reservation, H’weeldi; hundreds of Mescalero Apaches were also interned there. This history is one of several historical sites associated with Fort Sumner.
In February 1971, a Traveler’s Shrine was established in Fort Sumner with a Blessing Way ceremony and stones from home. At the Bosque Redondo Memorial, you will find two designated accessible parking spaces in the visitor parking lot. There are two accessible parking areas near the site of the old fort. Check current accessibility information before your visit.
The Bosque Redondo Memorial Fiber Fair is held annually, and food is also available. If you plan to attend, check the dates before your trip. That way, you can make the fair a reason for your trip without assuming a specific event date.
Architecture and Other Traces in Fort Sumner
The De Baca County Courthouse in Fort Sumner is designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. A marker identifies the site of the Maxwell House. Together with the Traveler’s Shrine, these places offer different historical points of reference: a public building, a marked building site, and a memorial with its own origin story.
Fort Sumner is also connected to aviation history. Fort Sumner Municipal Airport was selected as a launch site for NASA’s high-altitude balloon program. In the 1920s, an airfield was also built in Fort Sumner as part of a transcontinental passenger air network. It was later abandoned when the plans failed during the Great Depression.
Pecos River, Sumner Lake, and Trails
The Pecos River flows from the base of Sumner Dam for about 250 yards within the park boundary before entering private ranchland. Sumner Lake lies at the confluence of the Pecos River and Alamogordo Creek. In Fort Sumner, you can walk along the historic Pecos River.
Two trail lengths offer a practical comparison: the Discovery Trail is 0.35 miles long and connects the visitor center with the overlook to the south. The Fox Run Trail is 1.7 miles long, starts near the Eastside Campground, and runs around a narrow arm of the lake. The routes differ both in length and in the destinations and points along the way described here.
Discover more destinations: Fort Sumner, Colfax, Sandoval, Luna, Sierra County, Doña Ana, Quay, Lea County.
For the broader travel overview: New Mexico.
