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A couple of guide books are available from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for the Oregon Trail:
"The Guide to the Oregon Trail in Southwest Idaho" is free. This is a great guide for the casual Oregon Trail explorer.
"Emigrant Trails of Southern Idaho" is an extensive guide to the Oregon Trail in Idaho that was put together by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Idaho State Historical Society. It costs $8 but is well worth it for the maps and information.
Find them at BLM offices at 3948 S. Development Ave., or 1387 Vinnell Way.
A wagon train will be traveling from Montpelier to Nampa this summer as part of the Oregon California Trails Association convention in Nampa Aug. 4-9.
The wagon trail will try to use the same route across Idaho as original wagon trains.
The wagon train will travel portions of the Oregon-California Trail, the Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff, the Kelton Road and trails used by stagecoaches, freighters and drovers. In places, these trails still have the ruts and other evidence of the thousands of wagon wheels and hoof prints of the past.
Dust puffed from the ground with each step Johanna Smith took along the ruts of the Oregon Trail near Glenns Ferry.
A stiff, bone-dry wind swept across the sagebrush plateau overlooking the three islands in the Snake River where pioneers crossed with their stock and wagons.
It was one of the most demanding obstacles along the 2,170-mile trail from Missouri to Oregon in the 1800s.
"I've learned a lot about the emigration," said Smith, who is a volunteer at Three Island State Park at Glenns Ferry, a hub of Oregon Trail history in southern Idaho.
"I like to pass it along to school groups and others," she said, "I try to encourage people to come up here and see the trail."
There are many places to hike, camp, or just drive and visit, along the Oregon Trail in southwest Idaho.
Follow in the steps of the pioneers.
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GLENNS FERRY -- Seth Simpson, a student from Nampa, sat in the seat of a covered wagon at Three Island State Park.
His mind wandered as he looked at the displays at the Oregon Trail History and Education Center and parts of the trail that could be seen from the park.
"It's really cool. It put it all together for me," he said about the history of the Oregon Trail, which he studied in school.
There are several places to hike and camp along the Oregon Trail in southwest Idaho.
In many states, the Oregon Trail is covered up by highways and buildings, but in Idaho, students and weekend trekkers still can see many parts of it.
Wind caused the covered wagon, located in front of the history and education center at Three Island Crossing State Park, to creak.
It starts you thinking, especially as you look across the Snake River at remnants of the trail cut into the sidehills. You begin to get a feel for the trail.
Today we can hike - or even mountain bike - certain parts of the trail within 15 minutes or two hours of Boise.
We can walk the trail with Gore-tex hiking boots, lightweight daypacks, trekking poles and stainless-steel water bottles.
It's a far cry from walking along wagons with dust blowing up all around you and wondering where the next water hole is located.
It's a lot easier for modern history buffs.
''We're lucky. We have a good representation of the trail in southwest Idaho,'' says Frank Jenks, a recreation planner with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The federal agency has marked 150 miles of trail in southwest Idaho. The white fiberglass posts are hard to miss.
Whether you tailor your exploring to a simple walk in a state park, on a trail in Boise, or on a 10-mile desert hike near Murphy, you'll get hooked on the trail and its history.
Take some advice from Oregon trail history volunteer Johanna Smith.
When you see where the trail is located and see some of the tracks carved by wagons, you'll become a "real rut nut."
OREGON TRAIL RESERVE (Very, very easy)
What: The Oregon Trail Reserve on the rim between Columbia Village and Surprise Valley is a great beginners hike on the Oregon Trail.
There are trails for mountain biking and hiking. Many residents run or walk the trail regularly.
Notes: The views of the city are great in the mornings. There are about 4 miles of hiking in the area. This is an urban park. There is no camping.
Getting there: Take I-84 east to Idaho 21 (Exit 57). Go northeast on Idaho 21 to East Lake Forest Drive. Follow it to the interpretive area. There are two trailheads accessing these trails, both located along East Lake Forest Drive. The first trailhead is 0.2 miles from Idaho 21 and the second is 0.5 miles farther along the same road.
Information: www.ridgetorivers.org.
BONNEVILLE POINT (Easy)
What: This is one of the closest natural areas where you can see the Oregon Trail. It's located just off I-84 east of Boise, and you can hike or bike the trail in the area.
Notes: There is a historical site at Bonneville Point. Be aware of private property in the area.
Getting there: Drive about 15 minutes southeast of Boise on I-84 to the Blacks Creek Exit and turn northeast on Blacks Creek Road. Drive about 4 miles to Bonneville Point. Look for signs.
Information: Bureau of Land Management, 384-3335.
EMIGRANT ROAD (Moderate; long dirt road)
What: The Emigrant/Foothills Road from U.S. 20 near Mountain Home to the Blacks Creek Exit on I-84 near Boise runs along the Oregon Trail for about 25 miles.
You can park off the road at several places and take short hikes or just look around.
Notes: The trail is on private property in many areas, so don't trespass. The road is good enough for travel by a sedan, except in very rainy weather.
Getting there: Drive about 45 to 50 minutes southeast of Boise on I-84 to Mountain Home, and take the Fairfield/Sun Valley exit. Drive U.S. 20 northeast about 9 miles to Emigrant Road on the left, which is just before you get to Tollgate.
Take Emigrant Road back to Boise. Emigrant Road turns into Foothills Road, Mayfield Road and Blacks Creek Road.
Information: BLM, 384-3335.
TEAPOT DOME (Moderate hike)
What: Oregon Trail travelers used Teapot Dome, located about 7 miles north of Mountain Home, as a landmark. The trail goes by it. Many hikers like to scramble to the top of the dome to get a view of the Oregon Trail and the surrounding area. Mountain bikers have cut some primitive trails on the mountain.
Notes: There are no maintained hiking trails, you just make your own way to the top.
Getting there: Drive 45 to 50 minutes southeast of Boise on I-84 to Mountain Home and take the Fairfield/Sun Valley exit. Take U.S. 20 northeast about 6 miles and turn right to the Hot Springs Road. Follow the road about a mile. You can't miss the dome. It's the biggest hill around.
Information: BLM, 384-3335.
THREE ISLAND STATE PARK (Easy)
What: Three Island Crossing State Park is located on the Snake River at Glenns Ferry. It is home to The Oregon Trail History and Education Center where visitors can learn about pioneers and Native American history. The park has 330 acres of secluded parts of the Oregon Trail on the south side of the Snake River. Walks along the trail in this area will give you the feel of what the trail was like in the old days. There's an overlook on top of the bluff where you can see back across the Snake River to the park. If you're into short hikes, you can hike about one mile of trail within the park near Glenns Ferry.
Notes: You'll find all you need to know about Oregon Trail history in the education center, which is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hours will be expanded as the season progresses.
Several covered wagons are in the park. The park offers full-service camping for RVs and tent spots and cabins. Entrance fee, $4 (motor vehicles).
Getting there: Drive about 1 1/2 hours southeast of Boise on I-84 and take the Glenns Ferry exit. The state park is 4 miles from the interstate. Full hookup camping for RVs, tent spots and cabins.
Information: 366-2394. (Ask park personnel about how to get to the hiking area on the south side of the Snake River)
COVE RECREATION AREA (Easy)
What: This is an easy place to drive to and take short hikes on the Oregon Trail. The recreation site is near C.J. Strike Reservoir. Wagon-wheel ruts from the South Alternate of the Oregon Trail are found parallel to Idaho 78 between the highway and the reservoir.
Notes: The recreation site has a campground, picnic area, individual campground cabanas and restrooms. Fee area.
Getting there: Drive about an hour to Grand View by taking I-84 southeast from Boise. Take the Simco Road exit between Boise and Mountain Home, and
follow the gravel road across the desert to Grand View. At Grand View, head southeast for about 7 miles on Idaho 78 to the turnoff to the Cove Recreation Site. Turn left on the Cove Site road and within a quarter-mile look for the white Oregon Trail markers.
Information: BLM, 384-3335.
SINKER CREEK (Difficult; remote)
What: The South Alternate of the Oregon Trail in this area is as original as you'll find anywhere. The area is remote and takes a hardy hiker.
If you want, you can hike almost 18 miles along the trail in this area between Con Shea Basin and Sinker Creek.
Notes: There are no camping or picnicking developments out here, and you'll be driving on a secluded desert road.
Getting there: Take I-84 west from Boise to the first Nampa exit. Drive out of town on 12th Avenue South and Idaho 45 to Walters Ferry on the Snake River. Continue southeast on Idaho 78 to just before Murphy. Take the Rabbit Creek Road on the left, which heads back toward the Snake River and Con Shea Basin. Within a mile, the trail crosses the road. You can hike the trail southeast for miles. It's best to call the Bureau of Land Management before heading for this segment of the trail so you don't get lost.
Information: BLM, 384-3335.
Pete Zimowsky: 377-6445
