National Mormon Trails Association
Auto Tour
Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail stops
Nauvoo, Illinois:
The Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center is a great place to start a visit to this historic city. The center includes the Cornerstone of Zion exhibition, interactive exhibits, two theaters, and travel tips for self-guided tours of the area.
The community is like a living history museum. Historic buildings include the Joseph Smith Mansion House and the Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home. The early trades shops are recreated at the Stoddard Tin Shop, Browning Gun Shop, Riser Boot and Shoe Shop, the Red Brick Store, and the Post Office and Print Shop.
Visitors can research their family history at the Family Search Center. Kids can play with toys like they would have in 1840s at the Pioneer Pastimes Pavillion and explore hands on crafts like rope making at the Family Living Center. Colorful stage shows are performed in July and August on the Pageant Stage.
The Pioneer Memorial honors the pioneers who died on the Trail. Nauvoo Landing at the end of Parley Street is where the pioneers were ferried across the Mississippi River.
For more information, go to www.beautifulnauvoo.com.
Grand Island, Nebraska:
The Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer features an extensive collection pioneer and Native American artifacts and living historians in the re-created pioneer and rail town. The outdoor area includes a Nebraska Historical Society exhibit sign describing the area’s Mormon Pioneer Trail history.
The Crane Trust Nature and Visitors Center is a scenic viewing area for sandhill cranes each year from Valentines Day to the first week in April. The center also includes an art gallery and wildlife displays. Raising Nebraska includes interactive displays showing how food goes from the farm to our tables.
The Island Oasis Water Park is fun for children of all ages with exciting water slides and a lazy river. The Fonner Park Campus includes a resort hotel with three restaurants, pools, and family-friendly events including the Nebraska State Fair. Grand Island also offers great regional shopping, dining and lodging options.
For more information, go to: www.VisitGrandIsland.com.
North Platte, Nebraska:
North Platte is home to Buffalo Bill State Historical Park, a National Historic Landmark that brings the Old West to life. This 25-acre treasure features Buffalo Bill Cody’s beautifully restored 1880s Victorian home, filled with authentic furnishings and artifacts, as well as the iconic Scout’s Rest barn that showcases memorabilia from Buffalo Bill’s world-famous Wild West shows.
The Lincoln County Historical Museum has an entire village made up of historic structures from the area and many fascinating exhibits including the story of the North Platte Canteen. The canteen was one of the largest volunteer efforts of World War II, having served over 6 million servicemembers traveling through North Platte via train. Rail enthusiasts will marvel at the Golden Spike Tower, which offers panoramic views of Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard—the largest classification railyard in the world. Watch as nearly 10,000 railcars are sorted daily.
For family fun, head to Cody Park. This outdoor destination features an antique carousel, kiddie rides, picnic spots, wildlife, and more.
For more information, go to: VisitNorthPlatte.com
Goshen County, WY – Torrington, Wyoming:
The Homesteaders Museum and Visitor Center is one mile north of the Historic Oregon Trail in the old Union Pacific Train Depot. The museum houses artifacts, memorabilia, and historical documents that tell the story of homesteaders who settled and passed through Goshen County.
Torrington also features local boutiques, an artisan bakery, and shops with unique Wyoming souvenirs. Ten miles west of Torrington at the crossroads of US 26 and 85 is Lingle, which offers visitors convenience with restaurants and fueling.
Families will enjoy taking a break at the popular Ellis Harvest Home corn maze and pumpkin patch during fall harvest. At the same time, the Rawhide Wildlife Habitat Nature Trail is an excellent stop during warmer months.
For more information, go to: www.GoGoshen.com.
Fort Laramie National Historic Site – West on US 26. The “grand old post” evolved into one of the largest military posts on the Northern Plains. The fort began as a fur and buffalo trading post and then became the first stop in present-day Wyoming for the Mormon pioneers to rest and resupply before going west.
Today, 22 original structures of the fort still stand, along with a modern visitor center. The staff provides living history programs during the summer. Interpretive programs and ranger-led tours are provided during the summer.
For more information, go to: www.NPS.gov/Fola/index.htm.
Wind River Country – Lander, Wyoming:
Trailhead to Wind River Country and the historic South Pass. The Fremont County Pioneer Museum is a unique complex with a focus on the natural and cultural history of the Wind River, Sweetwater Valley and South Pass regions. Wind River Country is also the gateway to outdoor adventure including hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, fishing and camping in the pristine Wind River Mountain Range.
85 percent of Wind River Country is public land that includes the beautiful Shoshone National Forest and Sinks Canyon State Park, which has unique geological formations such as a disappearing river, scenic natural habitats and the chance to fish rainbow trout and enjoy outdoor recreation. Visitors can see a powwow, visit cultural centers and learn more about Native American culture on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
For more information, visit WindRiver.org.
Wind River Country – Lander, Wyoming:
Guests can step back in time and experience the early settlement of the West learning about Pioneers and Native American cultures. This unique Heritage Park is a fun and enriching experience for everyone, where visitors can pan for gold, pull handcarts, ride ponies and one of four trains that tour the Park, make take-home crafts, interact with frontier shopkeepers, a blacksmith, tinsmith, and saddle maker and hear the Heritage Singers.
Visitors can also see the new Fort, an early Native American village with authentic Navajo Hogans, America’s largest teepee and Native American presentations, and much more before stopping at the Gift Shop which offers a variety of unique souvenirs. The park is also home to the Pioneers of 1847 Monument, National Pony Express Monument and the Mormon Battalion Monument and Museum. This is the Place Heritage Park is open from 9 AM to 5 PM Mon-Sat. Gift Shop open 7 days a week.
For more information visit: www.ThisIsThePlace.org.
Mormon Battalion Trail stops
Nebraska City, Nebraska:
The Mormon Battalion camped on the eastside of the Missouri River near present-day Waubonsie State Park on July 23, 1846. The park offers hiking trails for panoramic views. Wyoming, Nebraska, in Otoe County was the site of an outfitting station for Mormon pioneers from 1864 to 1880. Today, “Old Wyoming” is on private property 7 miles north of Nebraska City and east of US 75 on County Road B2. Nebraska City is home to six unique museums.
The Missouri River Basin Lewis and Clark Visitor Center features immersive and interactive exhibits, historical reenactments in the summer, and hiking trails with great views of the Missouri River. Nebraska City is also the home of J. Sterling Morton Arbor Lodge State Historical Park where the Arbor Day tree-planting holiday began.
Nearby Arbor Day Farm is a nature-based theme park. The Kregel Windmill Museum is a National Historic Landmark and is the only intact windmill factory museum in the U. S.
For more information, go to: www.VisitOtoeCounty.com.
La Junta, Colorado:
The name La Junta means “the junction” in Spanish, and the original town was located at the junction of the Santa Fe Trail’s Mountain Branch and the Trappers’ Trail up to Colorado’s gold camps. The Koshare Museum features a Native American Kiva with the largest self-supporting log roof in the world. The Kiva also showcases performances by the Koshare Indian dancers.
The Kiva Indian Museum houses a world-class collection of Native American art and artifacts. La Junta’s rich and varied history is on display at the Otero Museum. For outdoor enthusiasts, Comanche National Grassland features grass prairies, rugged canyons, over 300 species of wildlife, and prehistoric sea-beds with dinosaur tracks.
Nearby Vogel Canyon is a great place for a short hike or a quiet picnic. Picketwire Canyon offers trails leading to Native American rock art and the remains of a 19th century ranch.
For more information, go to: www.VisitLaJunta.net.
Pueblo, Colorado:
Early “el pueblo” was initially built in 1842 as a cooperative base for traders, trappers and early settlers. On Christmas Eve 1854 a band of formerly friendly Utes attacked and killed most of the inhabitants. The Mormon Town Historic Marker obelisk monument, located east of I-25 and BUS 50 on Stanton Avenue, is where the Mormon Battalion’s family and sick detachments spent the winter of 1846-47 with the Mississippi Saints.
The Union Avenue Historic District includes the El Pueblo History Museum with a recreated plaza of the original El Pueblo. Visitors can see the excavated remains of the original El Pueblo in the adjacent Buckles Archaeology Pavilion.
The Pueblo Heritage Museum is devoted to the ethnic and cultural history of the people of Pueblo and includes artifacts and displays chronicling the area’s history. Visitors see vintage aircraft at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum. The Pueblo’s Creative Corridor showcases art, music and dance with a variety of galleries, museums, street sculptures, fountains, cafes and festivals.
For more information, go to: www.VisitPueblo.org.
Utah State Parks:
Visitors can enjoy a variety of historic and recreational experiences at Utah’s State Parks. To see sights the pioneers witnessed, there is Echo State Park off of I-80, and East Canyon State Park, accessible from US 65, that’s also great for camping, hiking and boating. This Is The Place Heritage Park celebrates the history of Mormon pioneers and the Mormon Battalion.
Camp Floyd State Park Museum, south of the Great Salt Lake off UT 73, features historic artifacts and the restored buildings from one of the largest U.S. Army forts in 1858. Fremont Indian State Park and Museum, near Richfield and off I-70, preserves Native American rock art and historic sites.
For water sports, nothing compares to the brilliant blue waters of Bear Lake State Park off US 89 for boating, swimming and camping. For breathtaking natural beauty, there is Kodachrome Basin State Park on Scenic Byway 12, and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park on UT 59.
For more information, go to: www.stateparks.utah.gov.
Utah Tourism:
Salt Lake City is a testimony to the faith and hard work of the pioneers that is continuing today. While the Temple Square Renovation is now complete. Much of Temple Square is open to the public today including the Church History Museum that features interactive exhibits with the history of the Mormon Pioneer Trail, the Tabernacle home to the world-famous Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, and the Family Search Library where families can search their ancestry.
Visitors can also see the new inspiring statues around Temple Square, including Come Follow Me and First Vision. South of Salt Lake City on I-15 is Provo, home to Brigham Young University which includes the Museum of Art and the BYU Museum of Paleontology.
While each of Utah’s Mighty Five® National Parks can be a vacation in itself, the most memorable park visits include a mix of activities inside and outside of the parks, with guided experiences bringing the history of these spectacular lands to life.
For more information, go to: www.visitutah.com.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints History Department:
The Kanesville Memorial is at 222 East Broadway in Council Bluffs, Iowa. This inspiring memorial includes exhibits and statues honoring the sacrifices made by the members and the families of the Mormon Battalion and other events which occurred in historic Kanesville.
The Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters is at 3215 State Street in Omaha, Nebraska. The center features interactive exhibits, reconstructed settings, artifacts and a film featuring the Mormon Battalion and Winter Quarters Era from 1846-48.
Across the street is the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery where hundreds of Latter-day Saint pioneers who died between 1846-48 are laid to rest and memorialized with a heroic statue by Avard Fairbanks. The Winter Quarters Omaha Temple is near the cemetery.
For more information, go to: www.ChurchofJesusChrist.org/VisitMormonTrailCenter.
The Mormon Battalion Historic Site at San Diego is located at Old Town San Diego. Visitors experience an interactive tour that highlights the faith, service and sacrifice of the Mormon Battalion during their 2,000+ mile journey from Council Bluffs, IA to San Diego in 1846-47. Visitors will see historic artifacts and can enjoy panning for gold.
For more information, go to: www.ChurchofJesusChrist.org/VisitMormonBattalion.
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