Utah Parks and Recreation Areas with National Historic Trail

The Pony Express National Historic Trail was used by young men on fast paced horses to carry the nation's mail across the country, from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California, in the unprecedented time of only ten days. Organized by private entrepreneurs, the horse-and-rider relay system became the nation's most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph. Though only in operation for 18 months, between April 1860 and October 1861, the trail proved the feasibility of a central overland transportation route, and played a vital role in aligning California with the Union in the years just before the Civil War. read more...

Phone: (801) 741-1012   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Salt Lake City   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Trail   Activities: Auto Touring, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Pony Express National Historic Trail

As the harbinger of America's westward expansion, the Oregon Trail was the pathway to the Pacific for fur traders, gold seekers, missionaries and others. Beginning in 1841 and continuing for more than 20 years, an estimated 300,000 emigrants followed this route from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon on a trip that took five months to complete. read more...

Phone: (801) 741-1012   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Salt Lake City   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Trail   Activities: Auto Touring, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Oregon National Historic Trail

Led by Brigham Young, roughly 70,000 Mormons traveled along the Mormon Pioneer Trail from 1846 to 1869 in order to escape religious persecution. The general route is from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Salt Lake City, Utah, covering about 1,300 miles. read more...

Phone: (801) 741-1012   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Salt Lake City   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Trail   Activities: Auto Touring, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail

The California Trail carried over 250,000 gold-seekers and farmers to the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840's and 1850's, the greatest mass migration in American history. Today, more than 1,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen in the vast undeveloped lands between Casper Wyoming and the West Coast, reminders of the sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs of early American travelers and settlers. More than 240 historic sites along the trail will eventually be available for public use and interpretation. read more...

Phone: (801) 741-1012   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Salt Lake City   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Trail   Activities: Auto Touring, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: California Trail