What was it like to travel west on the Oregon Trail?

Life on the Oregon Trail Planning a five- to six-month trip across rugged terrain was no easy task and could take up to a year. Emigrants had to sell their homes, businesses and any possessions they couldn’t take with them. They also had to purchase hundreds of pounds of supplies including: flour.

Which trail west was a cutoff from the Oregon Trail?

Starting in about 1848 the South Alternate of Oregon Trail (also called the Snake River Cutoff) was developed as a spur off the main trail.

How many miles was the journey west on the Oregon Trail?

2170 miles
The Oregon Trail was a wagon road stretching 2170 miles from Missouri to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. It was not a road in any modern sense, only parallel ruts leading across endless prairie, sagebrush desert, and mountains.

Was the Oregon Trail the only trail to the west?

1. The Oregon Trail didn’t follow a single set path. While most Oregon-bound emigrants traveled a route that passed by landmarks in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon, there was never just one set of wagon ruts leading west.

What was the route of the Oregon Trail?

Oregon Trail Historic Sites: The Oregon Trail became one of the key migration routes that pioneers crossed on their way to the vast west. Spanning over half the continent the trail proceeded over 2,170 miles west through territories that would later become Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon.

Where is the Oregon National Trail in Missouri?

The Oregon National Historic Trail extends from Independence, Missouri to Oregon. Check out this interactive map! The National Park Service Geographic Resources Program hosts an interactive trails map viewer. Choose the Oregon National Historic Trail and then zoom in to find the details you need for trip planning.

Where are the ruts on the Oregon Trail?

Almost everyone on the Oregon Trail had to take this route, and California Hill was the first major climb they encountered on the trail. Pristine trail ruts stretch 1,600 feet through the countryside here at Rock Creek Station. The spot was originally established as a supply stop and eventually became a Pony Express station.

Where can you see wagon tracks from the Oregon Trail?

Virtue Flat (Baker City, Oregon) Just below the modern-day National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center on Flagstaff Hill—where pioneers got their first glimpse of the Baker Valley—seven miles of wagon ruts are visible across the ground.