The Trails Ruts and Fort Laramie

The Trail Ruts

Admission, Trail Ruts: Free

Admission, Fort Laramie: Free with NPS pass

Guernsey, WY

Our hosts in Nebraska told us that we should not miss Fort Laramie and The Oregon/Mormon Trail Ruts in Wyoming. We drove west following Bill’s instruction, but somehow messed up. We found the town of Fort Laramie, but somehow missed the Fort. We had Maggie Mae plugged in. She kept changing her mind as to the direction we needed to go. So, we drove right through the town and onward. (Once Steve passes something, we rarely go back).

By wagon train, it is about one day's travel from Fort Lamarie.  By car, maybe a half hour.  When we pulled into the  town of Guernsey we found signs for the Trail ruts. It is a fairly small state park with a nice paved walking interpretive trail. The hundred of thousands of pioneers (between 350,000 and 500,000 are believed to have followed this trail) wore the sandstone down as they grunted and groaned their heavy loads over the hills. Eventually, the erosion from the wagon wheels caused very deep ruts. As newcomers came along, the trail became much more difficult. The ruts range from two to six feet deep. The ruts have been preserved

When people referred to the ruts, I had made the incorrect assumption that these ruts were in the dirt. They are not, but deeply gouged into the rock. Wagon wheels often got stuck, axles broke, wheels broke. One more challenge. The geography of the area dictated that practically every wagon that went west crossed the ridge in exactly the same place, with impressive results. Winding toward South Pass on the North Platte River these ruts are here for eternity.

The half-mile stretch is "unsurpassed" and is the best-preserved of Oregon Trail ruts anywhere according to Wyoming tourism. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

The site is maintained as a State Historic Site within Guernsey State Park. It does not take a long time to visit this State Park, the walking trail slightly steep in portions is a relatively short and easy trail. The scenery is western wonderful.

If one has any interest in history, one more hardship for the travelers of these times is hereby exemplified. It was worth the stop.

www.wyomingtourism.org/overview/Oregon-Trail-Ruts/3830

http://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/site7.htm