Directions

 

The Trail of Tears is not a clearly marked hiking trail. Instead it is a route that passes through communities, urban areas, public lands, rivers, and Wilderness. The route travels across a variety of land ownerships and management, including private land. Because of the nature of the trail, it is not possible to travel directly on the full national historic trail route.

Trail sites offer opportunities to experience the trail and travel or recreate on portions of it. Each location varies as to the hours of operations and access. Please contact individual trail sites before your visit for more information.

Plane

You can reach the national historic trail by flying into a number of airports. Because of the nature of the trail and the site locations, traveling by car is the best way to visit the trail.

Car
You can reach some trail sites by auto on all-weather roads. Though some sites can be viewed from the road, many sites are on private land, and can't be physically accessed. Please respect the private landowners and do not trespass.

Bike
The historic route passes through private land, so it is not possible to bike the full trail. Other portions of the trail that are on public land might restrict biking access. Alternative biking routes and detours have been created by users and are available online. The National Park Service doesn't current promote one specific bike packing route.

Boat
The historic water route traverses a variety of waterways and it is possible to travel portions by watercraft. Because of the variety of landownership, we advise you to contact individual sites for information on boating rules and laws.

Recreation
The public sites along the trail offer a variety of recreation opportunities, from hiking, biking, horseback riding to many others. Please check with the individual site for availability.