Where is the Butterfield Overland Trail?
The 3,292 mile trail passes through Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
Where can I obtain the official map and guide brochure?
The printed map and brochure are currently in development for this new trail. We appreciate your patience.
How do I visit or follow the trail?
Check out our Places To Go pages to discover the many sites you can visit. Your travels on the trail are rich with cultural history.
What do I need to know about trail access?
Visitors can follow parts of the original trail on public lands and approximate other parts by driving the roads that travel near the historical route. However, many parts of the original trail are privately owned, have been destroyed by development, are under plow, or cross military or American Indian tribal reserves. Unless clearly marked, there is no public trail access across private property and reserves. Before entering those lands, you must locate the owners and ask their permission.
Where can I get my Passport stamped?
Check back at Passport for Your National Parks for updates. We are currently working on creating a Passport Stamp for the trail and will work with partners to make it available.
Do you have educational materials for teachers?
Not currently. We are working to develop materials. Please visit Education for updates.
What is Butterfield Overland?
Operating as a stagecoach route from 1858 to 1861, the Butterfield Overland Mail tied the American West more closely to the rest of the U.S. on the eve of the U.S. Civil War. During its brief existence it created a communication and transportation link across southern states and territories from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. Technological change, intensifying sectional differences, and business challenges, led to the collapse of the Butterfield Mail, but remnants of this episode in American history survive along the route.
What year was the Trail established?
Congress established the trail in 2023.
Who owns the Trail?
The Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail is administered by the National Park Service (National Trails office), but the actual route on the ground is owned or managed by public, private, nonprofit, state, county, and local landowners. National Trails staff works with these landowners to identify the historic trail resources, provide site planning and design, map the trail, and develop educational opportunities. National Trails does not own any land on the trail.
What is a national trail?
Much like a national park, a national trail is created by an act of Congress. National historic trails are congressionally designated official routes that reflect the research, review, and recommendation of many trail experts. National historic trails commemorate historic trade, migration, and other routes important to American culture.
