The Pike Trail is displayed in blue. The expedition set out from Fort Belle Fontaine, Missouri and traveled approximately 3,700 miles before ending at Natchitoches, Louisiana/NPS

Zebulon Pike traveled quite a bit of the land known today as the United States back in 1806-07, and today there's a mountain named after him. The National Park Service wants to know whether there should be a national historic trail tracing his travels.

The Park Service is currently working on the Pike National Historic Trail Feasibility Study, and public input is needed. The study will evaluate the eligibility, suitability, and feasibility of designating the route taken by Zebulon Pike’s 1806-1807 expedition as a national historic trail.

Lieutenant Pike’s expedition was among the first United States government-ordered, American led explorations into the southern portions of the Louisiana Purchase. The expedition traveled approximately 2,700 miles in present-day Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas, with an additional 1,000 miles of trail in Mexico. 

The NPS will hold a series of virtual public meetings in May and June. Everyone with an interest in the trail and its history are invited to attend. Each on-line meeting will provide an opportunity to learn about the trail study process, ask questions, and submit written comments to be included in the report. Meetings are organized by state. One meeting will be conducted in Spanish.

Virtual Public Meetings Schedule

Visit go.nps.gov/PikeMeetings to view a complete schedule with meeting links.

Zoom meetings will allow you to view the presentation and type comments into the “chat” box. Participants can listen in by calling the meeting’s conference phone number. Callers will not be able to speak during the meetings. All phone lines are “listen only”.

Zoom Link: zoom.us/join
Zoom Passcode: piketrail
US Phone # 1 346 248 7799
Mexico Phone # 52 558 659 60

In 2019, Congress directed the NPS to carry out a feasibility study for designating the Pike Trail as a national historic trail. Receiving input from communities, stakeholders, and the public is an essential part of the trail study. The trail study process will be carried out over the next two years. Once completed, the study will be transmitted to Congress. Only Congress has the authority to enact legislation to designate National Historic Trails. If the route is designated, land ownership and private property rights would not be affected. Non-federal landowners are under no obligation to participate or to allow the public on their lands.