From Fort Hall: Oregon Trail to Oregon City, California Trail to Sacramento

Crossroads of the Overland Trails

Fort Hall (present-day Idaho) was the critical junction where the single Oregon/California Trail split.

Oregon Trail (Northern Route)

• Destination: Oregon City, OR (Willamette Valley)
• Distance from Fort Hall: ~500 miles
• Key landmarks: Snake River, Blue Mountains, Columbia River, Barlow Road or Columbia rafting
• Peak use: 1843–1869; ~250,000 emigrants

California Trail (Southern Route)

• Destination: Sacramento, CA (Gold Country)
• Distance from Fort Hall: ~600 miles (via Humboldt River)
• Key landmarks: Raft River, City of Rocks, Humboldt Sink, Forty Mile Desert, Sierra Nevada (Donner Pass)
• Peak use: 1849–1869; ~300,000 (Gold Rush surge)

Shared Start, Divergent Fates

Same departure point, same wagons, same hopes—different terrains, endings. Fort Hall's Hudson's Bay Company fort supplied both; its location dictated by Snake River plain geography.