washington montana south dakota iowa nebraska · red vermillion crossing segment columbia gorge...

KANSAS CITY

OMAHA

LINCOLN

PORTLAND

Hiawatha

Atchison

Leavenworth

Ottawa

Manhattan

Emporia

Junction City

Marysville

Hastings

LowellFairbury

Beatrice

Fremont

Norfolk

Columbus

York

Grand Island

Blair

Hays

McCook

Holdrege

Kearney

Lexington

North Platte

Sterling

Sidney

Kimball

Oshkosh

Julesburg

Brule

Bayard

Chadron

Lusk

Guernsey

Wheatland

Laramie

TorringtonHenry

Douglas

Muddy Gap

Rawlins

Harrison

Scottsbluff

Hot Springs

Gillette

Buffalo

Worland

Cody

Jackson

Pinedale

Marbleton

Cokeville

Kemmerer

Blackfoot

Burley

Nampa

Glenns Ferry

Twin Falls

Rexburg

Logan

Brigham City

Afton

SodaSprings

Montpelier

Alliance

Gering

Ogallala

Valentine

Rock Springs

Farson

Riverton

LanderNyssa

La Grande

Walla Walla

Arlington

Dufur

Sandy

Astoria

Longview

Madras

Bend

Baker City

Pendleton

Coos Bay

Roseburg

VANCOUVER

SALEM

CORVALLIS

EUGENE

KENNEWICK

BOISE

IDAHO FALLS

POCATELLO

CASPER

CHEYENNE

FORT COLLINS

GREELEY

SALINA

COUNCIL BLUFFS

TOPEKA

LAWRENCE

ST. JOSEPH

INDEPENDENCE

PA

CI F

I CO

CE

AN

GREATSALTLAKE

River

Columbia

River

Columbia

River

Missouri

River Missouri

Rive

r

Plat

te

River

Platte North

Rive

r

PlatteSouth

River

North

Platte

River

Platte

North

BearLake

River

Snake

Yellowstone

Rive

r

River

Snake

Riv

er

Snak

e

Riv

er

Wil

lam

ette

River

Snak

e

Rive

r

Nehalem

River

River

Crater Lake

North Umpqua

South Umpqua

UpperKlamath

Lake

MalheurLake

River

River

Crooked

Des

chu

tes

Rive

r Joh

nD

ay

River

LakeWallula

River

Lake

OwyheeMal

heu

r

River

Burnt

WallowaLake

PayetteLake

River

Gra

nd

e

River

Rond

e

River

Salmon

Salmon

Salmon

Riv

er

Rive

r

Hebgen Lake

JacksonLake

AmericanFalls

Reservoir

LakeWalcott

BlackfootReservoir

PalisadesReservoir

YellowstoneLake

River

Wind

FontenelleReservoir

River

Green

FlamingGorge

Reservoir

River

Pow

der

River

Bighorn

PathfinderReservoir

Laramie

Rive

r

GlendoReservoir

River

River

Niobrara

Cheyen

ne

LakeMcConaughy

River

LoupMiddle

Niobrara

River

River

Saline

SmokyHill

RiverHarlanCounty

LakeRepublican

LittleBlue

Rive

r

Elkhorn

River

Blue

Big

River

River

River

Solomon

Tuttle Creek Lake

River

Neosho

des

Marais

River

Kansa

s

Platte

River

River

Cygnes

Um

atilla

Sweetwater River

Powder

INDEPENDENCE was the pre-ferred jumping off point forthe Oregon and Santa Fe Trailsin the 1840s and early 1850s.

FORT KEARNY: the U.S. Armyestablished the fort in 1848 toprovide protection for emigrants.All trails from jumping off pointsalong the Missouri River methere, at the “Gateway to theGreat Plains.”

ASH HOLLOW was the entry tothe North Platte River Valley. Ample supplies of wood, water,and grass made this a sought-after camping area.

SCOTTS BLUFF was one ofthe major landmarks on thetrail, and, with Chimney Rock35 miles east, it signaled thatalmost one-third of the trailhad been traversed.

INDEPENDENCE ROCK: fur trap-pers named this formation onJuly 4, 1824. Many emigrantslater carved or painted theirnames on the rock.

SOUTH PASS: here the emigrantscrossed the Continental Divideand passed into the OregonCountry. The Pass is so broad andso level that many did not realizethey had passed into the Pacificwatershed.

REGISTER CLIFF: of the thousandsof names carved by emigrantsinto the soft sandstone, severalhundred are still legible. Sometrail ruts, as deep as five feet, arethree miles west.

FORT BRIDGER was a majorsupply point on the trail. Herethe Mormon Trail veered offto the southwest and into Utah.

THREE ISLAND CROSSING: ifthe water was low this wasthe best place to cross to thenorth bank of the Snake Riverto a route that offered bettertravel conditions and ampledrinking water.

FLAGSTAFF HILL: travelers caughttheir first glimpses of the BlueMountains from this point—anindication their trip was nearingthe end.

WHITMAN MISSION: Marcusand Narcissa Whitman, whohelped blaze the route of theOregon Trail, established amission to Christianize theIndians here in 1836.

BLUE MOUNTAINS: Thoughthe trail passed over moun-tainous terrain, wood, water,and shade were abundant—a welcome change from thedesert along the Snake River.

THE DALLES: before the openingof the Barlow Road in 1846, emi-grants had no choice but to buildrafts and float down the treach-erous Columbia.

OREGON CITY: the Oregon Trailended here. Fort Vancouver, aHudson’s Bay Company tradingpost, is across the Columbia inWashington.

BARLOW PASS: tired and wearyemigrants who chose not togo down the Columbia faceda steep climb to the pass beforedescending into the WillametteValley.

FORT LARAMIE: this early Indiantrading post quickly developedinto the major resupply pointfor emigrants and a major militarypost. Old Bedlam, on the fortgrounds, is the oldest structurein Wyoming.

Divide

Continental

Divide

Continental

Divide

Continental Divide

Continental

Divide

Continental

G

R

E

A

T

PL

AI

NS

RA

NG

ES

CO

AS

T

RA

NG

E

CA

SC

AD

E

BI

TT

ER

RO

OT

RA

NG

E

S A L M O N R I V E R

M O U N T A I N S

WIND R IVER RANGE

B I GH

OR

N M

OU

NT

AI N

S

L A R AM

I E M

OU

NT

AI N

S

BL

UE

M

OU

NT

AI N

S

G R E AT D I V I D E

B A S I N

B L A C KH I L L S

S A N D H I L L S

ME D I C I N E B O

W

MO

UN

TAI N

S

GRANITE

MOUNTAINSWY

OM

IN

G

RA

NG

E

CA

NY

ON

HE

LL

S

LaramiePeak

Prospect Hill

Gannett Peak13804ft4207m

Wind River Peak13192ft4021m

Big SouthernButte

Teapot Dome

Castle Butte

BruneauDunes

Mt Hood11235ft3424m

UMATILLAINDIAN

RESERVATION

WARM SPRINGS

INDIAN

RESERVATION

FORT HALL

INDIAN

RESERVATION

Crater LakeNational Park

John Day Fossil Beds NM

Craters ofthe MoonNationalMonument

City of RocksNational Reserve

Fossil ButteNM

Grand TetonNational Park

John D. Rockefeller, Jr.Memorial Parkway

Rocky MountainNational Park

Tallgrass PrairieNational Preserve

BighornCanyonNRA Badlands National Park

Wind CaveNational Park

NiobraraNational Scenic Riverway

Homestead NM of America

MissouriNational ScenicRiverway

Mount RushmoreN Mem

Jewel CaveNM

Agate Fossil Beds NM

Big HoleNationalBattlefield

Nez PerceNationalHistorical Park

Nez PerceNationalHistorical Park

Golden Spike NHS

HagermanFossil Beds NM

Fort ClatsopNational

Memorial

Fort Scott NHS

Yellowstone

National Park

WASHINGTON

OREGON

IDA

HO

OREG

ON

ORE

GO

NID

AH

O

IDAHO

NEVADA UTAH WY

OM

ING

UTA

H

WYOMING

UTAH

WY

OM

ING

IDA

HO

MONTANA

IDAHO

MONTANA

WYOMING

WYOMING

COLORADO

NEBRA

SKA

KA

NSA

S

CO

LORA

DO

SOU

TH D

AK

OTA

NEBRA

SKA

WY

OM

ING

SOUTH DAKOTA

NEBRASKA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

MISSO

URI

KAN

SAS

IOWA

MISSOURI

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

W A S H I N G T O N

O R E G O N

I D A H O

N E V A D AU T A H

M O N T A N A

W Y O M I N G

C O L O R A D O

S O U T H D A K O T A

N E B R A S K A

K A N S A S

I O W A

M I S S O U R I

End of the Oregon TrailInterpretive Center

National HistoricOregon TrailInterpretive Center

The National Oregon/California Trail Center

National HistoricTrails Interpretive Center

Fort LaramieNHS

Scotts Bluff NM (Mitchell Pass)

ChimneyRock NHS

Fort VancouverNHS

Whitman MissionNHS

Oregon City

PhilipFosterFarm

Barlow Pass

GovernmentCamp

The Dalles

Three Island Crossing

FortBridger

South Pass

Independence Rock

Register CliffMexican Hill

Ash Hollow

FortKearny

BlueMound

Kansas RiverCrossing/Pappin’s Ferry

PellantRuts

Alcove Spring

Parting of theOregon andSanta Fe Trails

Lone ElmCampground

Scott SpringCoon Creek/Marshall Grave

Hollenberg Station

TheNarrows

Thirty-twoMile Station

Ayr Ruts

Susan Hail Graveand Ruts

Plum Creek

Dan Smith’sWest Ranch

FortMcPherson

O’Fallon’sBluff

California Hill

Windlass Hill

Courthouse/Jail Rock

Robidoux Pass

GuernseyRuts

Warm Springs

Avenue of Rocks

Emigrant Gap

Willow Springs

SplitRock

Pacific Springs

Dry Sandy Crossing

Little Sandy Crossing

West End of theSublette Cutoff

SheepRock

Fort Hall

American Falls

Register RockColdwater Hill

Caldron Linn

ShoshoneFalls

Stricker Store/Rock Creek Station

Rock CreekCrossing

C.J. Strike Ruts

Rattlesnake Station

Canyon Creek Station

Utter Massacre Site

KeeneyPass

Givens Hot Springs

RockyRidge

Devil’sGate

Fort Casper

Ayres NaturalBridge

Horse CreekTreaty Grounds

Hembree Grave

Partingof the Ways

Lombard FerryCrossing

Name Rock

Thomas Fork Crossing

BigHill

Soda SpringsComplex

California Trail Junction/Raft River Crossing

Massacre Rocks

MilnerRuts

Kanaka Rapids

Teapot Dome Hot Springs

Inscription RockDitto Station

Indian Creek StationBonneville Point

Fort Boise

Farewell Bend

HilgardJunction

Blue Mountain CrossingInterpretive Park

Meacham

Echo

WellSpring

EmigrantSprings

EchoMeadowsFourmile

CanyonBiggs Junction Ruts

Barlow Gate

Tygh Valley

Cascades ofthe Columbia

John Day RiverCrossing

DeschutesRiverCrossing

Laurel Hill

West BarlowTollgate

Deadman Pass

Ward Massacre Site

Vale

Flagstaff Hill

Canyon Hill Ruts

Thousand SpringsUpper Salmon Falls

Church Butte

Ice Slough

Burnt Ranch

Amanda LaminGrave

Rock Creek StationJunction of St. Joe andIndependence Roads

St. MarysMission

Vieux Cemetery/Red VermillionCrossing

UpperWakarusa

Crossing

Upper Crossing of theSouth Platte River

Mormon Ferry(1849)

Saleratus LakeThree Crossings

Big Sandy Crossing

Black Vermillion Crossing

UpperIndependenceLanding

WildwoodRecreation

Area

84

84

84

82

5

5

26

20

126

5

97

97

97

12

26

20

26 26

20

95

20

20

26

30

30

30

30

93

19

19

19

74

11

218

207

207

206

197

395

730

395

201

86

75

21

78

75

75

82

9593

93

84

84

84

862693

15

89

2020

20

26

14

20

26

89

89

89

191

15

15

80

189

189

189

191

191

287

287

287

191

30

28

28

372

789

220

372

26287

2689

1416

80

80

80

76

25

30287

2026

1885

25

25

90

9016

16

20

83

20

18

20

20

85

26

3083

30

81

7577

77

24

75

69

71

73

36

75

36

36

73

30

3081

26

85

76

85

85

85

71

29

385

385

38525

23

30275

80

80

634

283

6

83

81

70

6

275

80

29

29

680

3475

9916

63

70

35

35

70

29

35

135

335

169

80

95

North

0

0

50 Miles

50 Kilometers

Big Sandy toGreen River Segment

West End of theSublette Cutoff Segment

Hagerman Fossil Beds Segment

Sinker Creek Segment

Alkalai Springs Segment

Ladd Canyon Segment

Emigrant Hill SegmentBoardman

Segment

Barlow RoadSegment

Blue Mountains Segment

North Trail Segment

South PassSegment

Prospect HillSegment

Fort Laramie toWarm Springs Segment

St. Marys-Red VermillionCrossing Segment

Columbia GorgeDiscovery Center

TamustalikCulturalInstitute

Trail interpretivecenter

Oregon Trail route

Segments of the trailoffering the best visitorexperiences

KANSAS CITY

Missouri

River

National FrontierTrails Center

INDEPENDENCE

Minor Park/Red Bridge Crossing

UpperIndependenceLanding

Eighty-fifth Street Ruts

Heart Grove Campground

New Santa Fe69

71

73

70

70

35

35

29

470MISSO

URI

KAN

SAS

0

0

10 Mi.

10 Km.10

Santa Fe Trail Park Ruts

IndependenceCourthouse Square

29

435

435

435

435

Kansas City/Independence area

See map above