National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
Winter hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28.
The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center offers living history demonstrations, interpretive programs, exhibits, multi-media presentations, special events, and more than four miles of interpretive trails.
Using life-size displays, films and live theater presentations, this Center tells the story of Oregon Trail pioneers, explorers, miners and settlers of the frontier west. The 500 acre site includes remnants of the historic Flagstaff Gold Mine, actual ruts carved by pioneer wagons, and magnificent vistas of the historic trail route.
For a wealth of resources on the Oregon Trail, including maps, FAQs, basic facts, teacher guides, and more, please explore our History and Educational Resources page. Our Events and Programs page provides additional information on current and upcoming activities at the Center, calendars, and programming.
- Hours of Operation
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Summer hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Oct. 20. Closed Monday, Oct. 14, for Columbus Day.
Winter hours begin Oct. 21, 2024: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, closed Monday-Wednesday. The center will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28, for Thanksgiving.
- Directions
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The Center is located at 22267 Hwy. 86, Baker City, OR 97814. From I-84, take Exit 302 to Hwy. 86 and travel east (away from town) 4 ½ miles. The interpretive center driveway will be to your left.
The Ruts Access site is to the left before you reach the interpretive center driveway. Please do your part to protect the ruts by staying on developed trails.
- Admission
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https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/10101989
Summer admission (April 1-Oct. 31): $8 for age 16 and up, $6 for seniors, good for two days with receipt.
Winter admission (Nov. 1-March 31): $5 for age 16 and up, $4 for seniors, also good for two days with receipt.
Fee Free Days 2024: Nov. 30-Dec. 31, 2024.
- Group Visits
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School Groups
A park ranger can meet your group at the historic ruts or the wagon encampment area for a 45 minute program (weather permitting). To schedule your visit, please call 541-523-1843 or email BLM_OR_NH_Mail@blm.gov.
Rangers can also make classroom visits to any public, private, or home school in Baker County. To schedule your visit, please call 541-523-1843 or email BLM_OR_NH_Mail@blm.gov.
Commercial Tour Groups or Organized Groups of Ten or More
To schedule a 30 minute ranger talk for your group at the historic ruts or the wagon encampment area (weather permitting), please call 541-523-1843 or email BLM_OR_NH_Mail@blm.gov.
- Contact Us
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541-523-1843
BLM_OR_NH_Mail@blm.gov - Accessibility (ABA/ADA)
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The site has 3 parking areas. The lot closest to the center has 4 accessible parking spaces large enough to accommodate vehicles with a side lift or ramp for a mobility device. This lot has 21 other spaces including some that are pull-through spaces for RVs and buses. Curb cuts provide easy access from the parking lot to the paved paths leading to the center and the adjacent boardwalk.
Inside the Interpretive Center are 2 gender-specific restrooms with flush toilets, one of which is in an accessible stall. There is a drinking fountain and water bottle fill station at the entrance of the restrooms.
Behind the information desk in the Interpretive Center is a theater that has bench seating and an open space in the back for wheelchairs and other mobility devices. There are wide walkways that wind through tactile interpretive exhibits of a wagon train, some of which might be too high for wheelchair users to easily view. The center also has dress-up exhibits. Visitors with noise sensitivity should be aware that the interior of the center can be very loud, with numerous audio/visual exhibits operating throughout the facility.
Near the center are 4 connected picnic shelters with 4 accessible parking spaces that each have an access aisle to accommodate vehicles with side lifts or ramps. The farthest left picnic table has an extended end to accommodate wheelchair users.
From the center’s back patio visitors can access approximately 2 miles of paved trails, which are 30 inches wide and less than 2 percent grade. Several benches without arms are scattered along the paths.
The Flagstaff Hill Loop Trail is an easy ½-mile paved loop around the Interpretive Center and the Wagon Encampment. There is also a short, easy paved trail off Oregon Route 86 that leads to the ruts.
The Panorama Point Trail, off the Flagstaff Hill Loop Trail, is a moderate paved trail that leads 0.75 miles up to Panorama Point and down the other side, on the 0.4-mile Mountain Ash Trail, to the Oregon Trail. Switchbacks along the Panorama Point Trail offset the steeper grade. Along this trail is the Lode Mine, Stamp Mill, and 3 shade shelters—one at the top, one halfway up, and one at the intersection with the unpaved Ascent Trail.
There are also 1.6 miles of hard-packed dirt paths leading to the Oregon Trail ruts. These paths were not designed with accessibility in mind, although they have only 2 to 4 percent grades. The paths include the Ascent Trail (0.8 miles), Auburn Burnt River Spur Trail (0.4 miles), and Eagle Valley Railroad Loop trail (0.4 miles).
A concrete path leads to a partially shaded boardwalk interpretive area next to the Oregon Trail wagon ruts. This structure has vertical and angled interpretive panels discussing the area, some wooden benches, some more open areas and some areas with several vertical posts, which might be difficult to navigate through for visitors using mobility devices when it’s crowded.
Other interpretive panels on the history of the Trail are distributed throughout the site. These panels are at height appropriate for people who use wheelchairs.
