Fort Simcoe Historical State Park is a 196-acre, day-use heritage site and is primarily a historic preservation effort. Due to its historic significance, Fort Simcoe was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1974. Camping is available at Brooks Memorial and Yakima Sportsman state parks.

In 1956, Fort Simcoe was leased to Washington State Parks by the Yakama Nation on a 99-year lease for historic preservation.

Fort Simcoe is one of the few remaining pre-Civil War forts in the west. Military history buffs should put it on their bucket lists.

Located on the Yakama Indian Reservation, between rolling hills, small farms and tiny towns, the fort has a unique sense of remoteness - and a beauty that makes it worth the drive.

Once a Yakama Nation camping area, the rich, fertile region sparked discord between the tribes and Euro-American settlers, prompting the U.S Army to construct a fort there in 1856. Fort Simcoe's military history was short-lived, however. Closed as a fort in 1859, the site was handed to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, under which it became a boarding school for Yakama children.

A Discover Pass is required for vehicle access to Washington state parks for day use. For more information about the Discover Pass and exemptions, please visit the Discover Pass web page.