Feasibility Study

4-Trails Feasibility Study

The Mormon Pioneer Trail Study Routes

The National Park Service (NPS) prepared a feasibility study to evaluate some 64 routes for possible addition to the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express National Historic Trails. The study was authorized by Congress — in response to years of sustained public interest — under the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009.

The six Mormon Pioneer Trail study routes listed in the Act are:

• 1846 Subsequent Routes A and B in Lucas and Clarke Counties, Iowa
• 1856-57 Handcart Route from Iowa City to Council Bluffs, Iowa
• Keokuk Route in Iowa
• 1847 alternative Elkhorn and Loup River Crossings in Nebraska
• Fort Leavenworth Road, Oxbow Route and alternates in Kansas and Missouri (Oregon and California Trail routes used by Mormon emigrants)
• 1850 Golden Pass Road in Utah

Other trails in the feasibility study include California National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail, and Oregon National Historic Trail.

GIS Data

GIS data is now available to the public for the Feasibility Study Revision for Additional Routes to the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express National Historic Trails.

The data is public facing at two locations:

• Within ArcGIS online

• To view additional metadata and to download the shapefile, please visit: Integrated Resource Management Applications (IRMA) website

Current Status

The Feasibility Study Revision for Additional Routes to the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express National Historic Trails is complete! The study was transmitted to congress and released to the public in January 2020. For more information and to download your own copies of the study,

Visit the National Park Service planning page (PEPC)

 

Map of 4-Trails Feasibility Study Trail Routes (162 KB pdf)