The Oregon Trail and the Appalachian Trail: The History of America’s Two Most Famous Trails

The westward movement of Americans in the 19th century was one of the largest and most consequential migrations in history, and among the paths that blazed west, the most well-known is the Oregon Trail, which was not a single trail but a network of paths that began at one of four “jumping off” points. The eastern section of the Oregon Trail, which followed the Missouri River through Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming, was shared by people traveling along the California, Bozeman, and Mormon Trails. These trails branched off at various points, and the California Trail diverged from the Oregon Trail at Fort Hall in southern Idaho. From there, the Oregon Trail moved northward, along the Snake River, then through the Blue Mountains to Fort Walla Walla. From there, travelers would cross the prairie before reaching the Methodist mission at The Dalles, which roughly marked the end of the Trail. As many who used the Oregon Trail described in memoirs, the West represented opportunities for adventure, independence, and fortune, and fittingly, the ever popular game named after the Oregon Trail captures that mentality and spirit by requiring players to safely move a party west to the end of the trail.

The most iconic of the major American pathways is the Appalachian Trail, which completes the “triple crown” of the national hiking experience. Covering a range from central Maine to Georgia at a distance of 2,193 miles, it is the longest of the three, following the crest of the Alleghenies and Blue Ridge Mountains through 14 states. All in all, it encompasses 465,000 feet in elevation and hosts three million visitors each year for at least a part of the total distance. On an annual basis, approximately 4,000 hikers begin a south to north trek beginning at Springer Mountain, Georgia, with the goal of hiking all the way to Maine. The northerly direction is greatly preferred because of the weather.