RECREATION & EVENTS

Park Hours

Year Round – Sunrise to Sunset

Address

4201 For Tejon Road, Lebec, California 93243

Phone

661 248-6692

Fort Tejon Activities

• Exhibits and Programs
• Guided Tours
• Self-Guided Tours
• Learning/Visitor Center
• Interpretive Exhibits
• Historical/Cultural Site
• Picnic Areas
• Nature & Wildlife Viewing
• Family Programs
• Geocaching

Guided Tour of Fort Tejon

Guided Tours are available at Fort Tejon. To schedule a guided tour at the Fort, call the Fort Tejon Park Office at the number below. Give the Fort Tejon Park staff at a least 72-hour advance notice before you plan to arrive for a tour of the Park.

(661) 248-6692

Self-Guided Tour

Take a self-guided tour of Fort Tejon by printing a Fort Tejon brochure (below) or pick a brochure up at the Fort Tejon Visitor Center.

You will find interpretive panels on historic sites and on restored and reconstructed buildings within the Fort that provide historical site and building details.

Many of the buildings located within Fort Tejon are not open to the public but you can view the interiors by looking through doors and windows that make it easy to imagine what life was like at the Fort in the 1850s and 1860s.

The park is open from sunrise to sunset with a picnic area and restrooms available.

School Tours

Fort Tejon offers self-guided, guided, and living history school tours that allow classes of students to enjoy the park at their own pace and with a Fort Tejon Guided tour that lasts about 2.5 hours.

Student Living History tours last about 5.5 hours and include one-of-a-kind learning experiences that take students back in time to 1856 a few years before California joined the Union as the 31st state.

Students get to participate in hands-on demonstrations of mid-19th century like cooking, blacksmithing, and adobe brick making with the help of Fort Tejon staff and park volunteers.

For more information, costs, and reservations, contact Michael Deagon at the phone number below.

(661) 248-6692

Cell Phone Audio Tour

Fort Tejon provides a self-guided audio tour at each stop you make as you venture through the Park that provides a brief history of location you visit. Look for placards in front of each site and building in the park to play audio.

Check if service is available in the Lebec 93243 area with your cell phone service provider.

Special Events – Every 1st Saturday of the Month

Come step back in time and surround yourself with the sounds, sights and colors of the past. Smell and hear the bubbling stew simmering over an open hearth fire place. Hear the musketoons fire, the blast of the cannon, and see clothing of the era.

You can see women mending clothes, soldiers polishing brass, people stomping around in the adobe brick pit, cooks churning butter or children playing a game of graces.

Frontier Army Days are held on the first Saturday of the month from 10:00am to 3:00pm. For more information, please call Fort Tejon State Historic Park at the number below.

(661) 248-6692

FORT TEJON GROUP CAMPGROUND

The Fort Tejon Group Campground offers ample space for up to 75 people. You'll find picnic tables, potable water, fire pits, restrooms, and more.

INFORMATION

Group Occupancy

50-75 People

In-Transit Camping

Individual Camping is available when campground is not occupied/reserved by a group.

Check-In Times

Sunrise to Sunset

Tents & Vehicles

• Tents
• (25) Vehicle Maximum
• (2) RV/Trailer Sites with Water and Electrical Hookups
• RV/Trailer Length up to 40 Feet Maximum

Amenities

• Grills
• Fire Pits
• Picnic Tables
• Drinking Water - Spigots Located Along Campground Fence
• RV Site Electrical Hookups
• Restrooms
• Overflow Parking
• Trash Collection

Cell Phone Service

Cell Phone Reception – Good

Fort Tejon Park Activities

• Archeological Sites
• Bird Watching
• Hiking
• Historic Sites
• Mountain Biking
• Nature Trails
• Picnicking
• Stargazing Tours
• Walking Trails
• Wildlife Viewing

Park Hours

Year Round – Sunrise to Sunset

Elevation

3,500

Location & Address

4201 For Tejon Road, Lebec, California 93243

Visitor's Center

661 248-6692

Children

Children must be accompanied by Adults at all times.

Cooking & Heat Allowed

• Propane Grills
• Propane Stoves
• Portable Propane Fire Pits
• Campground Fire Pits

Restrooms & Showers

Restrooms are available. Showers are not available.

Electricity

Electricity is available in areas of the Campground.

Parking

Parking at the Campground up to (25) Vehicles Maximum & Overflow Parking

Fort Tejon Group Campground Reservations

Contact the Fort Tejon Visitor's Center for the latest information on campground reservations, availability, services, amenities, and more.

(661) 858-1115

EARTHQUAKE OF 1857

The Fort Tejon 7.9 earthquake of 1857 is considered to be the highest magnitude quake on record in California. It was felt as far north as San Francisco and Sacramento.

The earthquake occurred on the San Andreas fault, which ruptured from near Parkfield in the Cholame Valley in California to Wrightwood, California about 187 miles long. It caused a nearly 30-foot horizontal displacement on the Carrizo Plain north of Fort Tejon.

Property losses were very heavy at Fort Tejon. Two main buildings at the Fort were declared unsafe. No one at the fort was seriously injured. Several buildings suffered moderate damage but were considered to be habitable.

Damage west of Fort Tejon included uprooted trees and destroyed buildings. One person was killed in the collapse of an adobe house located in Gorman on Reed's Ranch just south of the Fort and one person was killed in Los Angeles. It was reported that shaking from the earthquake lasted 1 to 3 minutes.

HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

The Fort Tejon Historical Association is committed to the preservation of the Fort Tejon and its history. The association provides Civil War Battle reenactments that involve infantry, Calvary, and artillery. Living history demonstrations depicted at the outpost of the U.S. Army in 1856 may include the following:

• 1850s Army Barracks
• Artillery Drill
• Blacksmithing
• Adobe Brick-making
• Open Hearth Cooking
• Needle Craft
• Laundry Military Drill
• Carpentry Shop
• Officer's Quarters

Visit the Fort Tejon Historical Association website for more information on events, programs, and becoming a member of the association and participant in their living history reenactments at Fort Tejon.

VISIT

FORT TEJON

INFORMATION

Admission

Free Admission

Park Hours

Sunrise to Sunset

Visitor's Center & Exhibit Hours

8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Daily

Park Accessibility Information

View the Park Accessibility Information HERE.

Address

4201 Fort Tejon Rd, Lebec, CA 93243

Phone

(661) 248-6692

Cell Phone Service

Cell Phone Reception – Good

Fort Tejon Park Activities

• Archeological Sites
• Bird Watching
• Hiking
• Historic Sites
• Mountain Biking
• Nature Trails
• Picnicking
• Stargazing Tours
• Walking Trails
• Wildlife Viewing

Elevation

3,400 Feet

Children

Children must be accompanied by Adults at all times.

Furry Friends

Dogs are welcome in at Fort Tejon

Restrooms

Available

Parking

Parking Lot and Campground Parking with Overflow Parking

Fort Tejon Brochure & Map

Learn about the history of Fort Tejon, information about visiting the park, and a detailed map of the park that shows the location of buildings, sites, campground, and more.

SAFETY

Poison Oak and Stinging Nettle

Poison oak and stinging nettle are found in wilderness areas throughout California. These plants thrive in the moist Fort Tejon woodlands, thickets, along the Fort Tejon creek, near the Fort Tejon water wells once used by the army, and along partially shaded trails.

Reactions to these plants can be mild to severe and should be treated immediately at the park by washing the affected area. Consult your doctor for additional treatment advice.

The pictures below will help you identify these plants while visiting Fort Tejon.

STINGING NETTLE

FORT TEJON WATER WELL

Stinging Nettle may appear harmless, but the plant is covered with tiny hypodermic needles that carry an acidic substance that can cause mild to severe stinging, painful blistering, hives, and even numbness that can last for days in the area of the skin exposed to the plant.

POISON OAK

FORT TEJON GROUNDS

Poison oak and poison sumac are plants that can cause a mild to severe skin rash. The red, uncomfortable, and itchy rash often shows up in lines or streaks and is marked by blisters or raised areas in the form of hives.

Remember, leaves of three, let them be! The picture below will help you identify these plants.

For additional information on Fort Tejon vegetation and other plants located within the park that should be avoided, contact the Fort Tejon Visitor's Center.

(661) 248-6692

FROM INTERSTATE I-5

Heading north on I-5, take exit 210 toward Fort Tejon. Turn left on Lebec Road and follow Lebec Road as it crosses over the freeway. Continue on Lebec Road until you reach Fort Tejon parking area.

Heading south on I-5, take the Fort Tejon exit. Follow Lebec Road until you reach the Fort Tejon parking area.

FROM THE CALIFORNIA COAST & 101 FREEWAY

Pismo Beach Area

From either direction on the 101 freeway, take the CA-166 exit. Follow CA-166 for about 107 miles to Interstate 5 and transition south. Head south and exit on Fort Tejon. Follow Lebec Road until you reach the Fort Tejon parking area.

Ventura Beach Area

From either direction on the 101 freeway, take the CA-33 exit. Take CA-33 north for approximately 70 miles and turn right on CA-166 and head east. Follow CA-166 for about 36 miles to Interstate 5 and transition south. Head south and exit on Fort Tejon. Follow Lebec Road until you reach the Fort Tejon parking area.