Oregon Trail National Historic Trail
Driving Tour
The Oregon National Historic Trail presents wonderful recreational opportunities and beautiful scenery. Jump in your car or explore on foot, with ample opportunities for camping, hiking, horseback riding, OHV riding and scenic/wildlife viewing.
Lewis and Clark followed Native Americans, mountain men and fur trappers west in 1805 and 1805 before heading back east in 1806. By the late 1830s, mountain men and fur trappers had explored routes and trails that would soon become overland trails for even larger numbers of emigrants. By the 1850s, there were three main trails to reach the West. The Santa Fe Trail led to southern California, and the Mormon Trail led to Salt Lake. The primary route west, though, was the Oregon Trail.
Visitors today can seen ruts made by the wheels of the original wagons. Two segments of the primary route are located in southwestern Idaho - North Trail and Sinker Creek. Interpretive sites at Bonneville Point, southeast of Boise, and at the Milner Site, 10 miles west of Burley, explain the challenges faced by intrepid pioneers. In southeastern Idaho, the Trail route traverses the BLM Pocatello Field Office.
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