TX State ParksAn independent field guide

Fort Leaton State Historic Site

State historic site in Presidio County, in the Big Bend Country region. Established 1973. 23.5 acres.

Title: A portion of Fort Leaton, a Texas State Historic Site, on the edge of Presidio, along the Rio Grande River in Brewster County, Texas Physical description
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fort Leaton is a fortified adobe trading post near Presidio, built in 1848 by Ben Leaton and Juana Pedrasa, with walls 18 to 22 feet tall. Tour the restored living quarters on your own or on a seasonal guided tour. The fort is also the western entrance to Big Bend Ranch State Park, where you can check in and get permits.

Things to do

Tour the fort

Pick up a self-guided tour brochure, or join a seasonal guided tour.

Drive the river road

Take a scenic drive along the Rio Grande, the border with Mexico.

Enter Big Bend Ranch

Check in here or at Barton Warnock Visitor Center for hiking, paddling and camping in Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Visiting with dogs

Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Like every Texas state park, they can't go into park buildings or designated swimming areas.

Please read our Policies on Dogs at Big Bend Ranch State Park before bringing your pet.

Park rules as stated by TPWD

Swimming

TPWD doesn't list swimming for this park.

Best time to go

Busy season
September through April
Night sky
Bortle 4.5

TPWD lists September through April as the busy season. Summers are extreme: temperatures often top 100°F by late morning and stay dangerous after dark.

Averages and busy season from TPWD. The Bortle scale runs from 1 (darkest sky) to 9 (inner city).

Getting there

16952 FM 170 East
Presidio, TX 79845
(432) 229-3613

Open in OpenStreetMap (29.5425, -104.3263)

From the nearest cities in this guide
FromApprox. driveStraight line
El Paso4 hr 42 min202 mi
Midland4 hr 55 min216 mi
Lubbock6 hr 53 min313 mi
San Antonio7 hr 54 min349 mi
Austin8 hr 42 min397 mi
Amarillo8 hr 53 min417 mi
Map of Texas showing where Fort Leaton isAbilene State ParkAlbert & Bessie Kronkosky State Natural AreaAtlanta State ParkBalmorhea State ParkBarton Warnock Visitor CenterBastrop State ParkBear Creek State ParkBentsen-Rio Grande Valley State ParkBig Bend Ranch State ParkBig Spring State ParkBlanco State ParkBonham State ParkBrazos Bend State ParkBuescher State ParkCaddo Lake State ParkCaprock Canyons State Park & TrailwayCedar Hill State ParkChinati Mountains State Natural AreaChoke Canyon State ParkCleburne State ParkColorado Bend State ParkCooper State ParkCopper Breaks State ParkDaingerfield State ParkDavis Mountains State ParkDevil's Sinkhole State Natural AreaDevils River State Natural AreaDinosaur Valley State ParkEisenhower State ParkEnchanted Rock State Natural AreaEstero Llano Grande State ParkFalcon State ParkFort Boggy State ParkFort Leaton State Historic SiteFort Parker State ParkFort Richardson State Park, Historic Site & Lost Creek Reservoir State TrailwayFranklin Mountains State ParkGalveston Island State ParkGarner State ParkGoliad State Park & Historic SiteGoose Island State ParkGovernment Canyon State Natural AreaGuadalupe River State ParkHill Country State Natural AreaHoney Creek State Natural AreaHueco Tanks State Park & Historic SiteHuntsville State ParkIndian LodgeInks Lake State ParkKickapoo Cavern State ParkLake Arrowhead State ParkLake Bob Sandlin State ParkLake Brownwood State ParkLake Casa Blanca International State ParkLake Colorado City State ParkLake Corpus Christi State ParkLake Livingston State ParkLake Mineral Wells State Park & TrailwayLake Somerville State Park & TrailwayLake Tawakoni State ParkLake Whitney State ParkLockhart State ParkLonghorn Cavern State ParkLost Maples State Natural AreaLyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic SiteMartin Creek Lake State ParkMartin Dies, Jr. State ParkMcKinney Falls State ParkMeridian State ParkMission Tejas State ParkMonahans Sandhills State ParkMother Neff State ParkMustang Island State ParkOld Tunnel State ParkPalmetto State ParkPalo Duro Canyon State ParkPalo Pinto Mountains State ParkPedernales Falls State ParkPossum Kingdom State ParkPost Oak Ridge State ParkPowderhorn State ParkPurtis Creek State ParkRay Roberts Lake State ParkResaca de la Palma State ParkSan Angelo State ParkSea Rim State ParkSeminole Canyon State Park & Historic SiteSheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning CenterSouth Llano River State ParkStephen F. Austin State ParkTyler State ParkVillage Creek State ParkWyler Aerial Tramway

Nearby parks

  1. Chinati Mountains State Natural Area28 miles away.
  2. Barton Warnock Visitor Center39 miles away. $5 per adult, kids 12 and under free.
  3. Big Bend Ranch State Park39 miles away. $5 per adult, kids 12 and under free.
  4. Indian Lodge76 miles away. Free entry. Swimming allowed.
  5. Davis Mountains State Park77 miles away. $6 per adult, kids 12 and under free.

Straight-line distance. See every park in the Big Bend Country.

Questions people ask

Can you camp at Fort Leaton?

No. The fort is day-use only, but Big Bend Ranch State Park has primitive campsites and a bunkhouse.

What are Fort Leaton's hours?

Open daily except Christmas, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Photo credits

Sources

Last checked October 14, 2026. Fees, hours and rules change; the official TPWD page for Fort Leaton has current alerts and closures.

  1. TPWD: Fort Leaton State Historic Site, retrieved October 14, 2026
  2. TPWD state parks map (amenities, contact), retrieved October 14, 2026
  3. TPWD GIS: Texas State Parks Public Areas, retrieved October 14, 2026
  4. TPWD: Bortle ratings by region, retrieved October 14, 2026
  5. TPWD: Fort Leaton State Historic Site history, retrieved October 14, 2026
  6. TPWD: state park rules (pets, swimming), retrieved October 14, 2026
  7. Wikipedia: List of Texas state parks, retrieved October 14, 2026
  8. OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (approximate drive times), retrieved October 14, 2026
  9. Wikimedia Commons (photos), retrieved October 14, 2026