Total original trail miles in California (including alternate routes and cutoffs): 994
- Take U.S. Route 395 south from Nevada to State Route 108.
- Turn west onto State Route 108.
- Take State Route 108 west to the trail's end at Sonora.
What states did the California Trail go through?
American Latino Heritage California National Historic Trail California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming The route of the California Trail passes through ten States and spans 2,400 miles Courtesy of the National Park Service
What's so special about the California Trail?
The California Trail and the other routes that carried people west-- the Oregon, Mormon Pioneer and Pony Express National Historic Trails, offer extensive historic and scenic resources for today’s travelers.
Is the Oregon-California Trail National Historic Trail?
Portions of the trail are now preserved by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the National Park Service (NPS) as the California National Historic Trail and marked by BLM, NPS and the many state organizations of the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA).
How many miles of trails are there in California?
Crossing 10 States, the entire California National Historic Trail system spans approximately 5,665 miles. About 1,100 miles of trail still have obvious remains on the ground such as trail ruts and other remnants, many on public lands. More than 320 historic sites are located along the trail system.
What did the California Trail go through?
The original route had many branches and cutoffs, encompassing about 5,500 miles (8,900 km) in total. About 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of the rutted traces of these trails remain in Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and California as historical evidence of the great mass migration westward.
When did the California Trail start and end?
The California Trail was in constant use between 1841 and 1869, peaking popularity in 1852. Prior to 1841, minor trails were in use. These began as animal paths, then Indian trails, fur trappers and mountain men routes, and finally an overland passage for the general American public.
How far was it from the beginning of the California Trail to the end?
Historians place it close to 2,000 miles. Dangers such as disease, skirmishes with Native Americans awaited those who were brave enough to take the long journey.
How long was the California Trail in miles?
Crossing 10 States, the entire California National Historic Trail system spans approximately 5,665 miles. About 1,100 miles of trail still have obvious remains on the ground such as trail ruts and other remnants, many on public lands. More than 320 historic sites are located along the trail system.
How long did it take to cross the California Trail?
four to six monthsThe length of the wagon trail from the Missouri River to Sacramento, California was about 1,950 miles (3,138 km). It normally took four to six months to traverse the length of the California Trail with covered wagons pulled by oxen.
How long did it take to travel the California Trail?
TRAIL BASICS - THE TREK WEST During the nineteenth century, over 200,000 men, women and children traveled the Oregon and California Trails in search of new homes in the west. The trek was a difficult journey and took five months to travel the 2,000 miles by ox-drawn wagon.
How many miles did a wagon train cover in a day?
The covered wagon made 8 to 20 miles per day depending upon weather, roadway conditions and the health of the travelers. It could take up to six months or longer to reach their destination.
Why didn't most pioneers ride in their wagon?
People didn't ride in the wagons often, because they didn't want to wear out their animals. Instead they walked alongside them, getting just as dusty as the animals. The long journey was hard on both people and animals. It was even hard on the wagons, which usually had to be repaired several times during the trip.
How many miles would a wagon travel in a day?
How many miles would a typical wagon train travel per day? Wagons traveled between 10 and 20 miles per day, depending on weather, terrain, and other factors. Some wagon trains did not travel on Sunday while others did.
How many wagons were in an average wagon train?
Wagon Trains were composed of up to 200 wagons, though more common were trains of 30 or less wagons. Wagon Trains had large numbers of livestock accompany them. Upwards of 2,000 cattle and 10,000 sheep joined the pioneers in their westward trek.
Where did people stop on the California Trail?
South Pass was one of the most significant, as many emigrants considered it the halfway point. Finally, Sutter's Fort represented the end of the trail for most travelers. Independence Rock and Devil's Gate were popular places to leave your mark on the stone, some of which still remain.
How many wagons were in the average wagon train going west?
100It was a group of covered wagons, usually around 100 of them. These carried people and their supplies to the West before there was a transcontinental railroad.
Where did the Old Spanish Trail start and end?
The Old Spanish National Historic Trail runs between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles, California. Over its years of use, it followed several different routes through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California.
Where did the Mormon Trail start and end?
Mormon Trail, in U.S. history, the route taken by Mormons from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Great Salt Lake in what would become the state of Utah.
Who created the California Trail?
The Establishment of the California Trail [3] After arriving in California, one company member, Joseph C. Chiles, returned east in 1842, organized another company, and set out for California in 1843. Near Fort Bridger the Chiles company enlisted mountain man Joseph Walker as a guide.
When was the Oregon California Trail established?
Great Emigration of 1843 Their trek began on May 22 and lasted five months. It effectively opened the floodgates of pioneer migration along the Oregon Trail and became known as the Great Emigration of 1843.
Where did the California Trail begin?
The general route began at various jumping off points along the Missouri River and stretched to various points in California, Oregon, and the Sierra Nevada. The specific route that emigrants and forty-niners used depended on their starting point in Missouri, their final destination in California, the condition of their wagons and livestock, and yearly changes in water and forage along the different routes. The trail passes through the states of Missouri, Kansas Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California.
How many people traveled the California Trail in 1850?
According to some statistics, over 70,000 emigrants used the California Trail in 1849 and 1850 alone. In the two decades of the 1840s and 1850s, the California Trail carried over 250,000 gold-seekers and farmers to the state’s goldfields and rich farmlands. It was the greatest mass migration in American history.
What challenges did California emigrants face?
In addition to the Rockies, these emigrants faced the barren deserts of Nevada and the imposing Sierra Nevada Range. The travelers of the California Trail often quipped that if you had “seen the elephant,” then you had hit some hard traveling.
Why was the California Trail called an elephant?
Early emigrants once called the California Trail an elephant, due to the difficult journey. If you wanted to get to California in pre-railroad times , you were guaranteed an arduous trek.
What did the travelers of the California Trail say about seeing the elephant?
The travelers of the California Trail often quipped that if you had “seen the elephant,” then you had hit some hard traveling.
Where did the Oregon Trail go after crossing the Raft River?
After the crossing of the river, the trail split with the Oregon Trail, with the California bound emigrants turning south through the Raft River Valley to the City of Rocks. The trail then climbed through the Pinnacle and Granite Passes, before dropping down to Goose Creek and meandering south through the northwest corner of Utah and into Nevada.
How many miles of trails are there on Highway 50?
Today, portions of U.S. Highway 50 and Interstate 80 follow the path of the California Trail. The California Trail system, which now includes approximately 5,665 miles of trails, was developed over a period of years.
What was the California Trail?
The California Trail was just one of a vast network of wagon roads and footpaths that brought Americans from the country they knew to the unfamiliar frontier – and eventually west to California and the Oregon Territory. This was the greatest mass migration in American history.
How many miles of trail are there in California?
Crossing 10 States, the entire California National Historic Trail system spans approximately 5,665 miles . About 1,100 miles of trail still have obvious remains on the ground such as trail ruts and other remnants, many on public lands. More than 320 historic sites are located along the trail system.
What are the two historic trails that carry people west?
The California Trail and the other routes that carried people west-- the Oregon, Mormon Pioneer and Pony Express National Historic Trails, offer extensive historic and scenic resources for today’s travelers. Hundreds of historic sites linked via these trails and driving routes that follow them allows modern adventurers to experience the original path of the trails and learn about their contributions to mid-19th century westward expansion.
How long did it take to hike the Sierra Nevada?
The 2,400-mile trip was far from easy. At the time, the entire journey took five to six months to complete. Along the route, travelers not only faced the treacherous Rockies, but also the barren deserts of Nevada and the frigid Sierra Nevada Range. Early on, very few supply stations existed and travelers had to be self-sufficient in finding food, water, and shelter. Those who took the trail quickly had to acquire skills such as building fires, chopping wood, capturing clean water, and setting up camp nightly. Extreme temperatures and threats of violence, stealing, mortal accidents, and American Indian raids were all constant concerns. During the late 1840s and early 1850s, cholera outbreaks along the trail killed travelers by the thousands.
What did travelers face along the route?
Along the route, travelers not only faced the treacherous Rockies, but also the barren deserts of Nevada and the frigid Sierra Nevada Range. Early on, very few supply stations existed and travelers had to be self-sufficient in finding food, water, and shelter.
How many people traveled west from Missouri?
Despite the treacherous route, more than 200,000 people traveled west from Missouri along the California Trail during the 1840s and 1850s. This migration forever changed the cultural, religious, and architectural practices of formerly Spanish-owned territory. The California Trail reflects a complex and layered story, one of mass emigration, ...
How many historic sites are there in California?
More than 320 historic sites are located along the trail system. The California National Historic Trail helps tell the many stories of its diverse travelers: some seeking new farmlands, others seeking gold, all finding a daunting journey across some of the harshest land in the interior of North America.
Where is the California National Historic Trail?
The California National Historic Trail extends from midwestern states to California and Oregon.
What is the National Park Service's interactive trail viewer?
The National Park Service Geographic Resources Program hosts an interactive trails map viewer.#N#Choose the California National Historic Trail and then zoom in to find the details you need for trip planning.
When was the California Trail completed?
Various California Trail routes remained active, however until the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869.
Where did the Oregon Trail go?
At Fort Hall, in present-day Idaho, about half of the party opted to take the Oregon Trail, but the rest vowed to reach California. They abandoned their wagons in eastern Nevada. On horseback and on foot, the party staggered across the Fortymile Desert and entered California via the Walker River.
How did the emigrants get to California?
Throughout this period, only a trickle of emigrants made their way to California by going overland. The January 1848 discovery of gold, however, turned all eyes toward California. Soon afterward, tens of thousands of “Forty-Niners” and other emigrants rushed hastily toward the gold fields, many of them over Carson Pass. (Thousands of others, meanwhile, headed there by sailing either around Cape Horn or by taking a ship to Panama, negotiating a trail across the narrow isthmus, and waiting for a Pacific coast sailing ship heading north.) At the same time, California was making abrupt political changes. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in February 1848, brought California under U.S. control, and in 1850, Congress made it the 31st state as part of the Compromise of 1850. Westbound traffic over the California Trail was heavy for the next several years, gradually shifting over to the Donner Pass route; meanwhile, other routes to California – over the Lassen, Nobles, and Beckwourth trails along with the Walker River-Sonora Route – opened up. After 1852, traffic over the California trail subsided, and the number of people heading east often equaled the ones going west, with many of those going to Oregon instead. Various California Trail routes remained active, however until the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869.
What was California known for in the 1820s?
During the 1820s and 1830s, California was a province of Mexico , largely ignored by Americans, and virtually all travel to and from the province was by sea. In May 1841, however, the first group of emigrants, the Bidwell-Bartleson party, met near Independence, Missouri and blazed their way west. At Fort Hall, in present-day Idaho, about half of the party opted to take the Oregon Trail, but the rest vowed to reach California. They abandoned their wagons in eastern Nevada. On horseback and on foot, the party staggered across the Fortymile Desert and entered California via the Walker River. Starving and nearly naked, they finally reached the Central Valley in November. Three years later, the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy party followed suit; they also crossed Nevada along the Humboldt River to the Fortymile Desert but decided to ascend the Truckee River. Eventually they ascended the Sierras via Emigrant Gap and stumbled down to Sutter’s Fort. Soon afterward, in 1846, came the infamous Donner-Reed party, which crossed western Nevada on route similar to the one traveled by the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy party. The Sierra snows, however, forced the party to halt near present-day Truckee, California where they endured several months of suffering, starvation, death, and some cannibalism until rescuers could reach the survivors.
What was the 31st state of California?
At the same time, California was making abrupt political changes. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in February 1848, brought California under U.S. control, and in 1850, Congress made it the 31st state as part of the Compromise of 1850. Westbound traffic over the California Trail was heavy for the next several years, ...
What was the name of the party that crossed the Sierras?
Eventually they ascended the Sierras via Emigrant Gap and stumbled down to Sutter’s Fort. Soon afterward, in 1846, came the infamous Donner-Reed party , which crossed western Nevada on route similar to the one traveled by the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy party.
Where did the Sierra snows take place?
The Sierra snows, however, forced the party to halt near present-day Truckee, California where they endured several months of suffering, starvation, death, and some cannibalism until rescuers could reach the survivors. Throughout this period, only a trickle of emigrants made their way to California by going overland.
How long is the California National Historic Trail?
The California National Historic Trail is over 5,000 miles long and covers portions of 10 states. Step into history along more than 1,000 miles of ruts and traces from travelers and their overland wagons. Read More
What is a National Historic Trail?
Many folks wonder what a national historic trail actually is. Hear from trail staff about how we define these important parts of history.
When was the California Trail opened?
The opening of the California Trail was nearly five years in the making. It began as an unpromising attempt in 1841 with the Bidwell-Bartleson Party struggling along the Humboldt River with their pack animals and ending with a desperate crossing of the Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley of central California.
How far is the junction of the trail?
The actual junction is about 100 yards east and about 50 yards south of the marker. Both trails are visible at the junction.
How far did the emigrants travel from Rock Spring to Emigrant Springs?
From Rock Spring, the emigrants traveled about five miles south to the side trail to Emigrant Springs. Most of the emigrants turned west here and traveled about a mile to the ample water but usually poor feed. Photo by Bob Black
Why did the emigrants leave the Palisade Canyon?
In order to avoid the impassable Palisade Canyon through which the Humboldt River flowed, the emigrants left the river and headed up the ravine to Emigrant Pass. Photo by Bob Black
How far is the trail from Marker C-24?
The original trail is visible starting one mile south of Marker C-23 and going five miles to Marker C-24. Photo by Bob Black
How far did the emigrants travel from the hot springs?
After traveling west about ten miles from the hot springs, the emigrants reached a trail junction and had a choice of routes.
Where did the emigrants head on the Oregon Trail?
THE TRAIL HEADS SOUTH NEAR MARKER C-2. At this point, the emigrants had traveled about five miles since leaving the Oregon Trail and were dropping down to cross the Raft River to the east side. They would then continue up the river for about ten miles where they would cross over to the west side. Photo by Bob Black.
Auto Tour Route: MO & KS
The National Historic Trail route from Western Missouri through Northeastern Kansas.
Auto Tour Route: NE & CO
The National Historic Trail route from Nebraska through Northeastern Colorado.
Auto Tour Route: ID
The National Historic Trail route along the Snake River through Idaho.
What Was The California Trail?
- The California Trail was a route that American travelers and settlers took when going from the eastern states of USA to the modern-day state of California. When the people started the route to go to California, California was not yet a state of USA and had mostly Native American inhabitants. This suddenly changed in 1848 when gold was discovered in...
Where Did The California Trail Begin and End?
- The California Trail began at Missouri, the same as the Oregon Trail. And it followed much of the first half of the Oregon Trail. It passed through the states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and finally, California. The first half of the Trail took travelers from Missouri to Wyoming. It was from Wyoming onwards that the Trail followed m…
The Journey on California Trail
- It was a very hard journey along the California Trail. It was even harder than the Oregon Trail. The most commonly used type of vehicles was covered wagons. The Trail passed across Rocky Mountains, rivers, barren valleys and many other mountain ranges. One of the hardest parts of the journey was the Great Basin area where drinkable water became scarce and travelers had …
Making The Journey
- Traveling from Missouri to California took many months. So anyone making the journey had to be well-prepared. Usually the journey along the California Trail was made on covered wagons. These were pulled by oxen and carried important provisions such as food, tools and weapons. The weapons had to be used in order to hunt along the way or for protection. The tools had to be use…
Dangers on The California Trail
- The greatest danger on the California Trail was the journey itself. It was a very hard and a very long journey. Along the way, people fell sick or ill with diseases like cholera. Some Native American tribes helped the travelers while others attacked and killed them. The travelers also had to drive their wagons carefully in order not to meet any accidents and had to guard themselves a…