How to get to Sand Creek
Denver International Airport is 166 miles from Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. From Denver, take Interstate 70 east to Limon; from Limon, take Highway 287 south to Eads. Sand Creek is 24 miles east of Eads, on Colorado 96 to County Road 54.
Best time to visit
The park is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. year-round except for major holidays. Open daily April 1-Nov. 30; open Mondays-Fridays Dec. 1 _ March 31. Rangers conduct 15-minute talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Spring and fall are the best seasons to visit; summer temperatures can top 100 and winter temperatures can drop to 30 degrees. The wind is a constant at Sand Creek, so expect sand and dust. For more information, go to www.nps.gov/sand
Besides the on-site visitors center, the National Park Service has an office at 901 Wansted St., Eads, (719) 438-5916 or (719) 729-3003).
Sleep
Cobblestone Inn & Suites, 501 East Lowell Ave., Eads; (719) 438-2021, www.staycobblestone.com/co/eads/. Clean and comfortable, plus complimentary breakfast. Doubles from $110.
Eat
JJ's Restaurant, 505 E.15th St., Eads; (719) 438-2002. A short-order diner with daily specials, sandwiches and pie. Open 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Windmill Saloon, 40549 E. 15th St., Eads; (719) 438-2226. Drinks and bar food (burritos, burgers) from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Closed Sundays.
Cinnamon Joe, 911 Wansted St., Eads; (719) 438-5633. Good coffee and lunch fare. Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays-Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. Closed Mondays in winter.
To do
The Crow-Luther Cultural Events Center was established in 2006 to bring special programs to Eads. The center has preserved the Plains Theater, which features a summertime schedule of weekend movies. For information, go to www.plainstheater.com/about-us.html.
More info
For details about the massacre, "The Sand Creek Massacre," by Stan Hoig (University of Oklahoma Press). For details about the establishment of the national site, "A Misplaced Massacre: Struggling Over the Memory of Sand Creek," by Ari Kelman (Harvard University Press). For an interpretation of why the massacre occurred, "Massacre at Sand Creek: How Methodists Were Involved in an American Tragedy," by Gary Roberts (Abingdon Press).
