With its sheer adobe walls and setting in the Chihuahuan Desert, Presidio’s Fort Leaton State Historic Site immediately draws the eye as you approach it.
Well-preserved (with a bit of help rebuilding over the last century and a half or so) and memorable, Fort Leaton served as a 19th-century trading post in rural Texas.
The area isn’t all that much less rural today than it was then, though there’s no doubt that it’s infinitely more comfortable to travel there via air-conditioned car than via carreta!
If you are curious about Texas’ Wild West history or just looking to break up a visit to Big Bend Ranch State Park with something to do (partially) indoors, Fort Leaton is a great addition to a trip.
Here’s what to know about visiting Fort Leaton, Texas!
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Where is Fort Leaton?
Fort Leaton is located in the minuscule town of Presidio, Texas, at the edge of Big Bend Ranch State Park.
It’s located at one end of Big Bend Ranch State Park’s famous scenic drive, El Camino del Rio (also known as River Road or simply Texas Highway 170).
A (Very) Brief History of Fort Leaton in Presidio, TX
In the mid-19th century, the property that became Fort Leaton was situated along the Chihuahua Trail–and Ben Leaton and Juana Pedrasa smelled a business opportunity.
They expanded the property and, in 1848, opened Fort Leaton as a trading post.
That’s right–despite the name, Fort Leaton was never a formal military installation (though the military did make use of it at various points when they were in the area), but an economic opportunity for its proprietors.
Ben Leaton, who the property is named for, passed away just a few short years after opening the trading post, but Juana Pedrasa remarried and continued to operate the post with her new husband, Edward Hall.
Wild West drama ensued–a loan default, a grudge that turned violent–and eventually the property was abandoned in the 1920s.
After several decades and multiple attempts at restoration, Fort Leaton opened to visitors in 1978.
What’s it like to visit Fort Leaton today?
The Fort Leaton of today has been painstakingly restored in many places, giving visitors the opportunity to truly walk through history by wandering within its walls.
We loved getting to explore places like the parlors, servants’ quarters, guardroom, and corral with its gigantic carreta (one of the enormous ox carts travelers used for traversing the Chihuahua Trail) for ourselves, imagining life as it might have been here more than 170 years ago.
Frankly, the Chihuahuan Desert is an unforgiving enough environment today, and we count ourselves lucky to not have experienced frontier conditions for ourselves!
With the benefit of an air-conditioned car to ride in and a peaceful area to explore, though, we had a blast visiting Fort Leaton.
The adobe structure is beautiful, the history fascinating, and exploring a piece of Texas’ trading history is a nice way to break up a visit to Big Bend Ranch State Park and its seemingly endless wide open spaces.
Practical Tips for Visiting Fort Leaton State Historic Site
It’s best to pair a visit to Fort Leaton with a visit to Big Bend Ranch State Park.
While Fort Leaton is an interesting place, its rural location in the vast landscape of Big Bend Country and the Chihuahuan Desert means that we wouldn’t recommend planning a trip to the fort specifically!
However, its location at the end of El Camino del Rio means that virtually anyone who plans to explore the best things to see in Big Bend Ranch State Park will end up in its vicinity–and once you’re nearby, it’s worth the effort to visit Fort Leaton.
Fort Leaton State Historic Site has a small entrance fee.
As of the time of writing, it costs $5 per person (ages 13 and up) to visit Fort Leaton.
You can purchase tickets from the small office onsite.
The fort isn’t the only thing you’ll find at Fort Leaton.
Since the fort operates as the western entrance of Big Bend Ranch State Park today, you’ll also find ranger services here–and it’s always good to be aware of the nearest services when traversing the desert!
Restrooms, a picnic area, and some short interpretative trails are also on the property, but there aren’t any camping services.
Presidio is extremely small.
With the exception of Fort Leaton and its proximity to Big Bend Country, the town of Presidio is not much of a tourist attraction.
You will find a handful of restaurants here, however, as well as a grocery store and some gas stations.
For ease of mind, we were happy to have the chance to fill up in Presidio before beginning our journey back to Lajitas (we were staying at the Lajitas Golf Resort when we visited Fort Leaton on a day trip).
