National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 208 | Exploring the Oregon Trail

By Jess Repanshek - February 5th, 2023

It is one of the longest units of the National Park System in the country. "It," of course, is the Oregon National Historic Trail, which stretches more than 2,100 miles from Missouri to Oregon. It’s been estimated that between 1840 and 1860 some 300,000-400,000 men, women, and children embarked on the four-month-long trip to head to the West Coast. It was long, arduous, and deadly.

Many died of cholera, conflict, and accidents. Today there are places where you can still see the ruts these endless wagon trains made as they headed west from Missouri, across Nebraska and Wyoming, before the trail split in two with one leg heading to Oregon, and the other to California.

A new book, Exploring The Oregon Trail, America's Historic Road Trip, can help you explore sections of the trail, or the entire trail if you have the time, and key points along the journey. It was written by Kay and David Scott, longtime national park travelers and park lodging experts. They are with us today discussing this guidebook.

For additional information on the Oregon Trail, listen to Episode 177 from the Traveler's podcast library: Following The Oregon Trail At Scotts Bluff.

And to gain a sense of the Oregon Trail in central Wyoming, check out this video from Traveler's archives:

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
:57 Almost Home - Randy Petersen - The Sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains
1:22 Yosemite Conservancy
1:45 Friends of Acadia
2:10 Great Smoky Mountains Association
2:33 Exploring The Oregon Trail, America's Historic Road Trip with authors David and Kay Scott
11:54 The Road Scholar - Bill Mize - The Spirit of South Dakota
12:08 Traveler Promo
12:20 Interior Federal Credit Union
12:37 The Everglades Foundation
12:49 Washington’s National Park Fund
13:24 Exploring the Oregon Trail with David and Kay Scott continues
22:23 The Offering - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains
22:35 Grand Teton National Park Foundation
23:04 Potrero Group
23:31 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
23:54 Exploring the Oregon Trail with David and Kay Scott continues
38:05 The Horseman - Randy Petersen - The Spirit of South Dakota
39:02 Episode Closing
39:31 Orange Tree Productions
40:03 Splitbeard Productions
40:15 National Parks Traveler footer

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Oregon National Historic Trail

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