Wagon Mound

As you drive up Interstate 25 from Las Vegas and Fort Union, the high prairie unfolds to the east, an infinite horizon of grassland that's quite breathtaking when the sun sets. Wagon Mound, a butte shaped like a covered wagon, rises just off the road to insert itself into the open vista. The butte is where travelers crossed over from the Cimarron Cutoff to journey south to Fort Union. Local lore tells of mysterious lights, ghosts, and murders committed on top of the butte. The town serves a free barbecue at noon on Labor Day to celebrate its bean-growing heritage. Other events—horseshoe tournaments, a rodeo, and a parade—take place that same weekend in this otherwise sleepy village.