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Where To Find Some Principal Sites Along The Trail

March 2023
1min read

NATIONAL FRONTIER TRAILS CENTER Independence, Missouri. At the corner of Pacific and Osage stands the home of the National Frontier Trails Center, which doubles as the national headquarters of the Oregon-California Trails Association. This is an obligatory stop for anyone interested in the overland trails. In addition to a well-stocked library, permanent and rotating exhibits, and an extremely helpful staff, the Trails Center runs a good bookstore where you can view a preparatory film and purchase maps, contemporary and historical literature about the trails, and other useful guides.

ALCOVE SPRING Five miles south of Marysville, Kansas, between Route 77 and the Big Blue River, on private property owned by Mrs. Stella Hammett. Permission to visit the spring must be obtained from the owner.

COURTHOUSE ROCK, CHIMNEY ROCK, AND CASTLE ROCK South of (and easily visible from) Route 92 between the towns of Bayard and Minatare, Nebraska.

SCOTTS BLUFF NATIONAL MONUMENT On Route 92, just west of Scottsbluff and Gering, Nebraska.

FORT LARAMIE South of the town of Fort Laramie, Wyoming, off Interstate 26.

GUERNSEY TRAIL RUTS 1.3 miles south of Guernsey, Wyoming.

INDEPENDENCE ROCK 48 miles southwest of Casper, Wyoming, on Route 220.

DEVIL’S GATE 54 miles southwest of Casper, Wyoming, just north of (and easily visible from) Route 220.

SPLIT ROCK Visible north of the junction of Routes 220 and 287 in Wyoming.

SOUTH PASS Route 28, on its way from Lander to Parson City in Wyoming, runs right through South Pass.

FORT BRIDGER Just south of the town of Fort Bridger, Wyoming, on the Business Loop of Interstate 80.

ECHO CANYON Interstate 80 runs through Echo Canyon on its way into Salt Lake City, Utah.

GREAT SALT LAKE DESERT An hour west of Salt Lake City, north of Interstate 80.

RUBY MOUNTAINS South of Elko, Nevada, off Interstate 80.

DONNER LAKE AND DONNER PASS Off Old Highway 40, a few miles west of Truckee, California.

SUTTER’S FORT 2701 L Street, Sacramento, California.

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