Ft. Churchill State Park - Silver Springs

Back in June we decided to take advantage of Discover Nevada State Parks Day (which means free admission to all NV state parks) and explore Ft. Churchill State Park. We tend to have a soft spot in our hearts for places like this since my husband and I worked at a similar historic site in Arizona the summer after we got married. It was fun to see how similar the two sites are.

Built in 1861, Ft. Churchill was an important stabilizing influence in the area, as well as an important link in the US supply chain during the Civil War.

Now days the fort is preserved in a state of "arrested decay", allowing visitors to use what remains and their imaginations to envision what life at the fort was like in its hey day. 

 When you arrive at Ft. Churchill your first stop is at the self-pay station to pay the $5/vehicle fee (and grab a stamp for your State Park Passport). There is plenty of parking right by the visitor center and even some nice shade tree. There are restrooms outside the visitor center. While I think there are park rangers around for special events, it appeared that a visit to Ft. Churchill is a self-guided experience. The visitor center has a lot of interesting displays about the history of the area, the fort, and the state park.

 Once you're done in the visitor center, it's time for a walk around the remnants of the fort. All the trails we walked on were smooth and fairly flat, so I think you'd be fine to take a sturdy stroller around the park. When we were there they were working on repairs/preservation of the ruins, so I'm not sure how much signage there is normally, but we were a little disappointed that there wasn't more information about what we were looking at. What is there is interesting though.

 After walking around the main square of the fort, we walked down the trail to the picnic area by the river. The kids loved getting to walk over the railroad tracks (and we even got to watch a train come through), and walking on a (somewhat rickety) foot bridge over the Buckland Ditch.

 The picnic area is fairly nice. It has several picnic tables under the shade of the cotton wood trees, one of which is handicap accessible. There was a BBQ grill by at least one of the tables, and a pit toilet nearby. There is even a drinking fountain nearby. The picnic area isn't quite on the water's edge, but there is a gate through the fence so you can walk down to the water.

 After our picnic we walked over to look at the cemetery. It does have some old graves in it, but all the remains of any army personal once buried there were moved out when the fort was decommissioned. You can walk up to the fence, but the cemetery itself is not actually open to the public.

 Before leaving for the day we decided to drive over and check out Buckland Station (you can also hike here from the fort, but we weren't up for that much walking that day).
Buckland station was built at least in part out of materials harvested from the fort after it was decommissioned. It served as an important stop on the Overland Route for travelers moving through the area. There is an informational kiosk outside that teaches some of the history of the area and directs visitors to points of interest around the area. The building itself is not open all the time, only on special occasions. There is a nice little lawn in the back, with picnic tables, a BBQ grill, and a water spigot.

Essential Details:
Ft. Churchill State Historic Park
10000 US-95 ALT, Silver Springs, NV 89429
Website