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Birdwatching on the Oregon Trail

Oregon National Historic Trail

a hawk flying with its wings spread and shoulders hunched

NPS Photo/Badlands

Emigrants on the Oregon Trail were introduced to many new plants and animals as they made their journey west. With over 2,000 miles of trail, through countless habitats, there are a number of places where you can have a similar experience!

The following places along the trail are noted for their birdwatching opportunities. When planning a visit, please make sure to check with the individual location about visitation hours and other details.

Oregon

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  • Oregon National Historic Trail

    Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area Overlook

    An open marsh with dried, brown grass and trees in their fall colors set against a background of rolling hills

    For emigrants on the Oregon Trail, Ladd Marsh was another obstacle they had to overcome in order to reach the fertile lands of the Willamette Valley. After traveling through Ladd Canyon and descending Ladd Hill, the flat lands of Grande Ronde Valley at first were a welcome reprieve from hard travel. But that changed upon entering the marsh.

Idaho

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  • Oregon National Historic Trail

    Bonneville Point

    A picnic pavilion sits on top of a rounded hill covered with warm-colored grass.

    Bonneville Point is named for U.S. Army Captain Benjamin Bonneville, an early Idaho explorer whose party reached this viewpoint along an old Indian trail in 1833. Later, it became a fondly remembered location for emigrants on the Oregon Trail as they took in their first view of the Boise River Valley from the here. Trail ruts can be seen at this site.

  • Oregon National Historic Trail

    Milner Historic Recreation Area

    Gravel road passing through an open landscape of dried grass, sagebrush, and a few trees on its way to the Snake River

    Over 100 years ago, emigrants on the Oregon Trail passed through what is now Milner Historic Recreation Area , creating ruts as they traveled through the soft soil of the area. Some of the emigrants chose to camp here, resting before continuing on the long journey ahead. The recreation area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, preserves these still visible Oregon Trail ruts.

Wyoming

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    • Sites: California National Historic Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail
    Golden colored trees line a still river.

    Bessemer Bend National Historic Site, also known as Red Buttes Crossing, is one of the places where travelers forded the North Platte River, then 300 yards wide, for the last time and started the push toward the Sweetwater River. This crossing was used mostly in the early years of the emigration.

Nebraska

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    • Sites: California National Historic Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail

    Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center offers a variety of tour options to make sure your crane viewing experience is truly magical. Crane Trust river blinds are located along the largest Sandhill Crane roost in the world. Located on the Platte River, near the emigrant trails, this trail site will give you a wildlife experience close to those who traveled the trails in the 1800s.

    • Sites: California National Historic Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail

    Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary focuses on conservation of the Platte River ecosystem and the birds that rely on it. Do you want to get closer to an authentic emigrant trail experience? Visit this trail site to view wildlife and the preserved Platte River ecosystem.

Kansas

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    • Sites: California National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail
    A stone marker in a grassy area.

    Alcove Spring was a favorite trail campsite near the Independence Crossing of the Big Blue River. Often, emigrants would spend several days here, waiting for the swollen waters of the river to drop to levels that were safe for fording. They found the area picturesque, with the spring originating in an unusual rock formation and falling over a rock ledge into a pool below. Emigrants carved their names in the rocks.

Missouri

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    • Sites: California National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail, Santa Fe National Historic Trail
    Trees surround a large grass meadow, which contains a shallow, long, u-shaped depression made by Oregon Trail traffic

    Santa Fe Park preserves approximately one-quarter mile of Oregon, California, and Santa Fe trail ruts in the heart of the city of Independence, Missouri. These ruts align with trail ruts found a half mile north on the Bingham-Waggoner estate, a 19.5 acre museum and park, that is open to the public.

    • Sites: California National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail, Santa Fe National Historic Trail
    A moderately developed park with benches, a monument and a gazebo set in a landscape of prairie and forest

    Travelers on the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe trails passed through what is now Schumacher Park as they journeyed through the prairie of the great plains. They passed through the south end of the park in an east to west direction during the mid-1800s. Today, no traces of these trails (no ruts or swales) remain in the park, but the park does provide a good example of how this part of Kansas appeared in the 19th century.

Last updated: March 20, 2023