From 1843 to the 1880s, more than 400,000 settlers loaded their belongings into covered wagons and set out from Missouri toward Oregon. They traveled through Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and over the Cascades — a journey of roughly 2,000 miles that took months to complete. Today, you can drive that same route in days, and several of the most significant stops along the way are exactly as dramatic as they were when the pioneers passed through.
PlainsCraft wagons were built in the spirit of that same westward journey, in Topeka, Kansas, just a short distance from the original Oregon Trail route. Here are five historic stops worth building a road trip around.
1. Independence, Missouri — Where the Trail Began
Every covered wagon road trip started here. Independence, on the outskirts of Kansas City, was the primary jumping-off point for the Oregon, Santa Fe, and California trails. The National Frontier Trails Museum, part of the National Park Service, tells the full story of those departures with original artifacts, maps, and preserved sections of trail.
Beyond the museum, the Kansas City area offers some of the best barbecue in the country, over 200 registered fountains, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the National World War I Museum. If you’re traveling with a football fan, the Kansas City Chiefs call this home.
2. Chimney Rock, Nebraska — Landmark of the Plains
Rising 480 feet above the North Platte River Valley, Chimney Rock was one of the most anticipated sights for westbound travelers. Settlers documented it in their journals more than almost any other landmark on the trail. Today the Chimney Rock National Historic Site includes a visitor center that interprets its significance to both pioneers and the Native American tribes who called the region home.
It is a wide-open, windswept landscape that gives you a real sense of what those settlers were crossing. Worth a stop even if you’re just driving through Nebraska.
3. The Red Buttes, Casper, Wyoming — The End of the Flatlands
The Red Buttes, now the Bessemer Bend National Historic Site just south of Casper, marked a turning point for travelers: the flat, exposed prairie was behind them, and the mountain west was ahead. The site was also a crossroads for several Native tribes who hunted along the North Platte River.
Modern Casper has grown into a strong outdoor recreation hub with hiking on Casper Mountain, floating and fishing the North Platte, and a growing food and craft beer scene. The Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo draws visitors every summer.
4. Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls, Idaho — Niagara of the West
At 212 feet, Shoshone Falls is taller than Niagara Falls, which is why early travelers dubbed it the Niagara of the West. It sits in the Snake River Canyon and was a natural stopping point for settlers before the town of Twin Falls existed. Today the canyon is also famous as the site of Evel Knievel’s 1974 motorcycle jump attempt.
Twin Falls is excellent for outdoor enthusiasts: hiking trails behind Perrine Coulee Falls, kayaking and boating on the Snake River, zip lining over the canyon. Downtown has a solid dining and event scene worth exploring.
5. Mount Hood, Oregon — The End of the Trail
At 11,249 feet, Mount Hood was the dramatic final landmark that told settlers they had nearly made it. The mountain is visible from much of the Willamette Valley and was a beacon for wagon trains crossing the Cascades in the final stretch of their journey.
Today Mount Hood is a world-class outdoor destination with skiing, hiking, and dramatic drives along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The communities surrounding the mountain, including Hood River and Sandy, offer excellent food, wine, and lodging. Several PlainsCraft customers operate glamping destinations within a day’s drive of the mountain.
Stay in a Covered Wagon Along the Way
Several PlainsCraft locations sit near the original Oregon Trail route. If you want to make your road trip an overnight experience, check our map of locations and stay in a covered wagon at a property near you.
