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| California
National Historic Trail - The California Trail
carried over 200,000 gold-seekers and farmers to the gold fields and
rich farmlands of California during the 1840's and 1850's, the greatest
mass migration in American history. Today, more than 1,000 miles of
trail ruts and traces can still be seen in the vast undeveloped lands
between Casper Wyoming and the West Coast, reminders of the sacrifices,
struggles, and triumphs of early American travelers and settlers.
Great Basin National Park - From the sagebrush at its alluvial base to the 13,063-foot summit of Wheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park includes streams, lakes, alpine plants, abundant wildlife, a variety of forest types including groves of ancient bristlecone pines, and numerous limestone caverns, including beautiful Lehman Caves. Old Spanish National Historic Trail - The Old Spanish Trail was a pack mule trail linking land-locked New Mexico with coastal California between 1829 and 1848. Over this trail moved people, goods, and ideas. Recognizing the national significance of this historic long distance trade route, in 2002 Congress designated it the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. |
Lake
Mead National Recreation Area - Lake Mead National
Recreation Area (NRA) offers a wealth of things to do and places to go
year-round. Its huge lakes cater to boaters, swimmers, sunbathers, and
fishermen while its desert rewards hikers, wildlife photographers, and
roadside sightseers. Three of America's four desert ecosystems--the
Mojave, the Great Basin, and the Sonoran Deserts--meet in Lake Mead NRA.
As a result, this seemingly barren area contains a surprising variety of
plants and animals, some of which may be found nowhere else in the
world.
Pony Express National Historic Trail - The Pony Express National Historic Trail was used by young men on fast paced horses to carry the nation's mail across the country, from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California, in the unprecedented time of only ten days. Organized by private entrepreneurs, the horse-and-rider relay system became the nation's most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph. Though only in operation for 18 months, between April 1860 and October 1861, the trail proved the feasibility of a central overland transportation route, and played a vital role in aligning California with the Union in the years just before the Civil War. |
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For more information visit the National Park Service website
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