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The California Trail, since it had started out as part of the Oregon Trail, had been Green until the settlers of the California Trail break off the Oregon Trail for California, and on this map is Purple.
The length of the California Trail was around 2,000 miles.
The time that had been taken to travel the trail was  four to six months.
The motivations of settlers for traveling the California Trail was so that American merchants could get a passive trading ground with Mexican merchants who they traded with.
The dangers of traveling the California Trail were disease, fights with Native Americans, landforms, and the other dangers that were also listed in the Oregon Trail.

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If you've never visited us at the California Trail Interpretive Center in Elko, you might be asking yourself, "What is the California Trail?" Many people have heard of the Oregon Trail, but the California Trail also spanned across the western United States and brought travelers face-to-face with their destinies - some ending in good fortune, and others ending in tragedy.

Dreaming of a Better Life

So, where is the California Trail? And where did the California Trail start? Open from 1841 to 1869, the California Trail brought emigrants from many locations in the East. Starting points varied, but most began somewhere along the Missouri River and ran parallel with the Oregon Trail, heading west. Eventually, the California Trail split off from the Oregon Trail and headed south to the numerous paths and "shortcuts" over the Sierra Nevada mountains and into California. One such cutoff led to the tragic events of the infamous Donner party.

How Long Was The California Trail?

There is no exact way to tell how long the California Trail was because each starting point was different. Historians place it close to 2,000 miles. Dangers such as disease, skirmishes with Native Americans awaited those who were brave enough to take the long journey.

The Search for Gold

Between the discovery of gold in 1848 and 1850, an estimated 75,000 people traveled the California Trail in search of their fortunes. Those numbers eclipsed all the previous years combined! However, word quickly spread about the difficulty of navigating the trail and eventually, the numbers dwindled. When the transcontinental railroad opened in 1869, the trail fell out of use completely.

Something for Everyone

Who were the people who traveled the California Trail? In the beginning, most of the emigrants were farmers, hoping to improve their families fortunes in the fertile soil of the western United States. But the discovery of gold would lead to a flood of western migration. Some of these travelers included:

Fur trappers - these mountain men had been in the hills for years, and some served as guides

Farmers - stories had spread about the fertile land of California

Prospectors - the gold rush had many Americans dreaming of prospecting their fortunes

Merchants - these wise businessmen and women saw opportunities in the growing communities of the West

Families - whether looking for land or a fresh start, many families with young children traveled the trail

Visit Today

Curious about other California Trail facts? Join us at the California Trail Interpretive Center and discover the stories, tall tales, and legends surrounding the legendary trail. Sit in a pioneer wagon, learn about the culture of the Native American tribes along the trail, or discover why the trail was frequently called "The Elephant." If you need help to plan your visit or want to bring a group, contact us by phone or email; we would be delighted to assist you.

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If you've never visited us at the California Trail Interpretive Center in Elko, you might be asking yourself, "What is the California Trail?" Many people have heard of the Oregon Trail, but the California Trail also spanned across the western United States and brought travelers face-to-face with their destinies - some ending in good fortune, and others ending in tragedy.

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On this map, the color of the Santa Fe trail is Red.
The length of the Santa Fe trail was between 800-900 miles.
The time that had been taken to travel the trail was around 8 weeks.
The motivation for going on the Santa Fe trail was gaining a huge profit (Becknell got 1500%) from trading with Mexican traders.
The dangers of traveling the Santa Fe trail were:
Santa Fe route trespassing on Native American territory.
Mechanical Hazards
Disease
Starvation
Dehydration
Potential for Violent Encounters

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Santa Fe Trail - Fort Larned National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)

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The color of the Mormon Trail on this map is Orange.
The length of the Mormon Trail, in total, was 1,300 miles.
The time that it took to travel the Mormon trail was 8 months (not counting the Winter Quarters Rest).
The motives of the Mormons while traveling the Mormon trail was to become free of the religious persecution they had faced in their previous settlements.
The dangers of traveling the Mormon trail were diseases, stress, accidents, privacy and landforms.

1846 Trek: Here
1847 Trek: Here

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The original motivations of the discoverer of the route, Marcus Whitman was to convert the Native Americans living along the frontier to Christianity, but during the time of the Great Emigration of 1843, it had changed to assisting the white settlers on moving to the frontier, who wanted to develop new lives along the frontier.
Dangers on the Oregon Trail:
Diseases (smallpox, flu, etc.)
Accidents (exhaustion, inexperience, carelessness)
Water crossings
Misaimed gunshots
Shortages of food, supplies, and water.

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Oregon Trail - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com

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Find out more about the history of Oregon Trail, including videos, interesting articles, pictures, historical features and more. Get all the facts on HISTORY.com

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The Oregon Trail is the Green Trail.
The length of the Oregon Trail was around 2,000 miles long.
The time that had been taken in order to travel this route was usually 3-6 months.