Location: Various States CA,CO,ID,KS,MO,NE,NV,OR,UT,WY
Follow in the footsteps of over 250,000 emigrants who traveled to the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840s and 1850s: the greatest mass migration in American history. The California National Historic Trail is over 5,000 miles long and covers portions of 10 states. Step into history along more than 1,000 miles of ruts and traces from travelers and their overland wagons.
Fees: There are no user or entry fees for the California National Historic Trail. Fees may be charged at some trail-related federal, state, or locally owned historic sites and interpretive facilities. Please contact individual trail sites before visiting for more information.
Hours Info: The California National Historic Trail is not a clearly marked hiking trail. Instead it is a corridor that passes through communities, urban areas, public lands, and Wilderness. The route travels across a variety of land ownerships and management, including private land. Each location varies as to the hours of operation and access. Please contact individual trail sites before your visit for more information.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/cali/
Location: St. Louis, MO
The Gateway Arch reflects St. Louis' role in the Westward Expansion of the United States during the nineteenth century. The park is a memorial to Thomas Jefferson's role in opening the West, to the pioneers who helped shape its history, and to Dred Scott who sued for his freedom in the Old Courthouse.
Fees: The entrance fee is $3.00 per person. Entry is free for children under 16 and America the Beautiful pass holders. The tram ride, movie and riverboat cruises are an additional fee for adults and children. Admission to the Museum Under the Gateway Arch is free.
Hours Info: The Gateway Arch is open year-round, closed only on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Summer Hours run the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend and are the primary vistor season, if you plan to visit outside of this time please see the exception below.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/
Location: Diamond, MO
The young child known as the "Plant Doctor" tended his secret garden while observing the day-to-day operations of a 19th century farm. Nature and nurture ultimately influenced George on his quest for education to becoming a renowned agricultural scientist, educator, and humanitarian.
Fees: The park is free of admission charge.
Hours Info: George Washington Carver National Monument is open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily, except Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1. There is no park entrance fee. We are working to increase access to the park visitor center in a phased approach. The George Washington Carver National Monument visitor center is open with limited capacity . The information desk, park store, main floor museum, multipurpose room, and restrooms will be open. The theater and upstairs discovery area will remain closed.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/gwca/
Location: Independence and Grandview, MO
President Harry S Truman took America from its traditional isolationism into the age of international involvement. Despite his power, he never forgot where he came from. Today, visitors can experience the surroundings Truman knew as a young man of modest ambition through his political career and final years as a former president.
Fees: Everyone touring the Truman home, including children, must have a ticket. Tickets for children 15 years old or younger are free. Once bona fide educational groups may make reservations for tours. All other tickets are issued same day, first come, first served.
Hours Info: Take a guided tour of the historic Truman Home. With thousands of artifacts on display, the home is an insightful glimpse into the personal lives of the Trumans. Visitors should stop by the visitor center first to obtain tickets to tour the Home. . ***Please note that Home tours are suspended until further notice as a result of COVID 19.***
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/hstr/
Location: Sixteen States: IA,ID,IL,IN,KS,KY,MO,MT,NE,ND,OH,OR,PA,SD,WA,WV
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is approximately 4,900 miles long, extending from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River, near present day Astoria, Oregon. It follows the historic outbound and inbound routes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition as well as the preparatory section from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Wood River, Illinois.
Fees: Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters Visitor Center in Omaha, NE does not charge an entrance fee, but some of our park partners do. Be sure to check with each visitor and interpretative center to find out their fees.
Hours Info: Lewis and Clark NHT visitor center in Omaha, Neb is open.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/lecl/
Location: Various States ID,KS,MO,NE,OR,WA,WY
Imagine yourself an emigrant headed for Oregon: would promises of lush farmlands and a new beginning lure you to leave home and walk for weeks? More than 2,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen along the Oregon National Historic Trail in six states and serve as reminders of the sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs of early American settlers.
Fees: There are no user or entry fees for the Oregon National Historic Trail. Fees may be charged at some trail-related federal, state, or locally owned historic sites and interpretive facilities. Please contact individual sites before visiting for more information.
Hours Info: The Oregon National Historic Trail is not a clearly marked hiking trail. Instead it is a corridor that passes through communities, urban areas, public lands and Wilderness. The route travels across a variety of land ownerships and management, including private land. Each location varies as to the hours of operation and access. Please contact trail sites before your visit for more information.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/oreg/
Location: Van Buren,Eminence,Salem,Winona, MO
Ozark National Scenic Riverways is the first national park area to protect a river system. The Current and Jacks Fork rivers are two of the finest floating rivers you'll find anywhere. Spring-fed, cold and clear they are a delight to canoe, swim, boat or fish. Besides these two famous rivers, the park is home to hundreds of freshwater springs, caves, trails and historic sites such as Alley Mill.
Fees: There is no entrance fee at Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
Hours Info: The park grounds are open daily, 24-hours per day.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/ozar/
Location: Various States CA,CO,KS,MO,NE,NV,UT,WY
It is hard to believe that young men once rode horses to carry mail from Missouri to California in the unprecedented time of only 10 days. This relay system along the Pony Express National Historic Trail in eight states was the most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph.
Fees: There are no user or entry fees for the Pony Express National Historic Trail. Fees may be charged at some trail-related federal, state, or locally owned historic sites and interpretive facilities. Please contact individual trail sites before visiting for more information.
Hours Info: The Pony Express National Historic Trail is not a clearly marked hiking trail. Instead it is a route that passes through communities, urban areas, public lands, and Wilderness. The route travels across a variety of land ownerships and management, including private land. Each location varies as to the hours of operations and access. Please contact individual trail sites before your visit for more information.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/poex/
Location: CO,KS,MO,NM,OK
You can almost hear the whoops and cries of "All's set!" as trail hands hitched their oxen to freight wagons carrying cargo between western Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Follow the Santa Fe National Historic Trail through five states and you'll find adventure and evidence of past travelers who made this remarkable trip before you!
Fees: There are no user or entry fees for the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. Fees may be charged at some trail-related federal, state, or locally owned historic sites and interpretive facilities. Please contact individual trail sites before visiting for more information.
Hours Info: There are many places of history and commemoration on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail to visit. Museums, interpretive centers, and historic sites provide information and interpretation. Please contact each site before you go to obtain current information on closures, changes in hours, and fees.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/safe/
Location: MO
Established by 1750, Ste. Geneviève was the first permanent European settlement in Missouri. Early French Canadian settlers were drawn here by the rich agricultural land known as Le Grand Champ (the Big Field). After the flood of 1785, the town relocated to its present location on higher ground approximately three miles to the northwest of its original site.
Fees: There is no entrance fee to visit Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park.
Hours Info: Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park is open from 9AM to 5PM daily with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The interiors of the Jean Baptiste Vallé and Bauvais-Amoureux Houses are only available during set tour times. Tour times are listed on our web calendar.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/stge/
Location: AL,AR,GA,IL,KY,MO,NC,OK,TN
Remember and commemorate the survival of the Cherokee people, forcefully removed from their homelands in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee to live in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. They traveled by foot, horse, wagon, or steamboat in 1838-1839.
Fees: There are NO USER OR ENTRY FEES fees for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. NOMINAL FEES may be charged at some trail-related federal, state, or locally owned historic sites and interpretive facilities. Please visit Plan Your Visit / Places To Go for an interactive map and extensive list of places to visit by state. Contact information is available for each site to call and find out about fees.
Hours Info: OPERATING HOURS VARY FROM SITE TO SITE. There are many historic sites, museums, and parks (federal, state, and local) along the Trail of Tears in Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, or Oklahoma for you to visit. Please contact individual sites for more information by going to Plan Your Visit and selecting Places To Go or Passport Program, where sites are listed by state, and there is an interactive map to search for sites.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/trte/
Location: St. Louis, MO
Ulysses S. Grant is known as the victorious Civil War general who saved the Union and the 18th President of the United States. He first met Julia Dent, his future wife, at her family home, named White Haven. From 1854 to 1859 the Dents, Grants and an enslaved African-American workforce lived on the property.
Fees: Entry to Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site is free.
Hours Info: Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site’s hours of operation are 9AM – 5PM, with the last tour of the historic house at 4 pm.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/ulsg/
Location: Republic, MO
Wilson's Creek was the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River, and the site of the death of Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union general killed in action. The costly Southern victory on August 10, 1861, focused national attention on the war in Missouri. Wilson’s Creek NB commemorates and interprets the battle within the context of the war in the Trans-Mississippi West.
Fees: Individual entrance is anyone walking or bicycling into the park and would be subject to paying an individual entrance to the park. Receipt is good for 7 days at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. Entrance Fees Will Resume May 29th, 2021. When collected, fee is $10.00 for an adult walking or bicycling into the park. An adult is anyone 16 and older. Children 15 and under are free. Receipt is good for 7 days at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield.
Hours Info: Tour road, battlefield, and trails are open during posted hours (changes by season). Tour Road opens at 7:00 am for walkers and bicycles only. Vehicle entrance begins at 8:00 am which requires a gate token issued inside the visitor center. The visitor center and museum hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, seven days a week. The Library hours are 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Tuesday-Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.
More Info: https://www.nps.gov/wicr/