Locations:California National Historic Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail
Guernsey, Wyoming, is situated along the North Platte River and the “Great Platte River Road”, a significant historic route followed by travelers on the Oregon, California, Pony Express, and Mormon Pioneer national historic trails. The small town is located along US 26, about 100 miles north of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and 66 miles west of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Learn more about this area's rich history!
Locations:California National Historic Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail
Salt Lake City, a pioneer way-station as well as a destination, is rich in the combined history of the Mormon Pioneer, Pony Express, and California national historic trails. This itinerary starts at This Is The Place Heritage Park for an overview of the three trails at one tour stop. From there, this itinerary becomes a walking tour downtown and focuses on the Mormon Pioneer Trail.
Locations:California National Historic Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail
Explore Echo Canyon in Utah, for a combined three trails experience! Use this trip itinerary to plan a driving day trip along historic trails, visiting multiple sites, and learning as you go!
Locations:Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail, California National Historic Trail, Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail, New England National Scenic Trail, North Country National Scenic Trail, Old Spanish National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail, Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail, Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, Santa Fe National Historic Trail, Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail, Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail, Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail, Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trailmore »
Offices:National Trails System
In celebration of the 55th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, learn more about these significant trails and their history.
Locations:California National Historic Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail
Nineteenth-century overland migration is one of the best documented processes in American history. Journals, letters, sketches, and guidebooks paint vivid pictures of the varied landscapes and emotions that migrants experienced on their way west. Yet despite this rich body of evidence, there is no official count of how many people undertook the journey. Some of the best data we have comes courtesy of officers at Fort Laramie, who counted passing travelers in the year of 1850.
Locations:California National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail
Read the latest project updates and completions for the Oregon and California National Historic Trails from the National Trails Office of the National Park Service (NPS).
Locations:Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Arkansas Post National Memorial, Badlands National Park, Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park, Buffalo National River, California National Historic Trail, Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, Effigy Mounds National Monument, Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, First Ladies National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fort Scott National Historic Site, Fort Smith National Historic Site, Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, Gateway Arch National Park, George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, George Washington Carver National Monument, Grand Portage National Monument, Harry S Truman National Historic Site, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Homestead National Historical Park, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Hot Springs National Park, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, James A Garfield National Historic Site, Jewel Cave National Monument, Keweenaw National Historical Park, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Missouri National Recreational River, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, New Philadelphia National Historic Site, Nicodemus National Historic Site, Niobrara National Scenic River, North Country National Scenic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Pea Ridge National Military Park, Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Pipestone National Monument, Pony Express National Historic Trail, President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site, Pullman National Historical Park, River Raisin National Battlefield Park, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Santa Fe National Historic Trail, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument, Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail, Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site, Voyageurs National Park, William Howard Taft National Historic Site, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Wind Cave National Parkmore »
There is something for everyone in the Midwest. See what makes the Great Plains great. Dip your toes in the continent's inland seas. Learn about Native American heritage and history. Paddle miles of scenic rivers and waterways. Explore the homes of former presidents. From the Civil War to Civil Rights, discover the stories that shape our journey as a nation.
Locations:Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, California National Historic Trail, Homestead National Historical Park, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Missouri National Recreational River, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Niobrara National Scenic River, Oregon National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail, Scotts Bluff National Monumentmore »
Offices:Regions 3, 4, and 5
Find things to do, trip ideas, and more in Nebraska.
Locations:California National Historic Trail, Gateway Arch National Park, George Washington Carver National Monument, Harry S Truman National Historic Site, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Pony Express National Historic Trail, Santa Fe National Historic Trail, Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park, Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail, Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site, Wilson's Creek National Battlefieldmore »
Offices:Regions 3, 4, and 5
Find things to do, trip ideas, and more in Missouri.
"I think that I may without vanity affirm that I have seen the elephant." - Louisa Clapp
The elephant that emigrants on the California Trail joked about was a common metaphor for the difficulty of their journey. If you had "seen the elephant", then you had hit some hard traveling.
And if you wanted to get to California in pre-railroad times, you were guaranteed an arduous trek. California emigrants faced the greatest challenges of all the pioneer emigrants of the mid-19th century. In addition to the Rockies, these emigrants faced the barren deserts of Nevada and the imposing Sierra Nevada Range.
With a variety of destinations in California, and jumping-off points in Missouri, the California Trail resembles not a single cord, but a rope frayed at both ends. Numerous cutoffs and alternate routes were tried to see which was the "best" in terms of terrain, length and sufficient water and grass for livestock.
The total California National Historic Trail system includes approximately 5,665 miles. Of this, approximately 1,100 miles of trail still exist on the ground as trail ruts, traces and other obvious remnants. About 2,171 miles of this system cross public lands, where most of the physical evidence that still exists today is located. An estimated 320 historic sites along the trail system will eventually be available for public use and interpretation.
Over 200,000 gold-seekers and farmers used the California Trail to reach the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840s and 1850s, the greatest mass migration in American history.
