1. Oregon National Historic Trail
This is probably the most important historic trail for the Pacific Northwest in terms of westward migration.
The trail runs approximately 2,170 miles, from the Missouri River region to the Willamette Valley, passing through Idaho, Washington and Oregon in the Northwest. Congress designated it a National Historic Trail in 1978.
In the Northwest, major portions include:
- Snake River country in Idaho
- Southern Idaho/Oregon approaches
- Grande Ronde Valley
- Blue Mountains
- Columbia River
- The Dalles
- Barlow Road
- Oregon City
The trail is particularly interesting because it isn't simply a modern hiking trail. The NPS explains that the National Historic Trail consists of a route and associated historic sites and segments, many of which are on private or other public lands.
There are also several Oregon Trail study routes in Washington that are particularly interesting historically, including the Naches Pass Trail and Cowlitz River Route. These were studied for possible addition to the Oregon National Historic Trail but should not be confused with currently designated portions.
2. Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail follows the route of the Corps of Discovery Expedition of 1803–1806.
It stretches approximately 4,900 miles and includes Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana, as well as states farther east.
The Northwest portion is especially significant because the expedition:
- crossed Idaho
- traveled through the Columbia River country
- passed through what is now southeastern Washington
- descended the Columbia
- reached the Pacific at the Oregon/Washington coast
Unlike the Oregon Trail, this is primarily an exploration route rather than an emigrant trail.
3. Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail
This is one of the most historically significant trails in the Inland Northwest.
It begins at Wallowa Lake, Oregon, crosses Idaho, and continues into Montana toward the Bear Paw Battlefield. It is approximately 1,170 miles long. Congress designated it a National Historic Trail in 1986.
It commemorates the Nez Perce Flight of 1877, when approximately 750 Nez Perce men, women and children attempted to flee U.S. military forces rather than accept removal to a reservation.
For someone interested in Washington and Idaho history, this trail is particularly important because the Nez Perce homeland extended across central Idaho, northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.
4. California National Historic Trail
This one is a little less obvious because we normally associate the California Trail with California.
The California National Historic Trail extends through Idaho and has a significant historic branch through southern Oregon. The NPS/BLM describes the trail as approximately 2,000 miles from the Missouri River toward California and Oregon.
The Oregon portion is particularly interesting because the Applegate Trail, also known as the Applegate Cutoff, Southern Emigrant Road, or South Road, carried emigrants through southern Oregon before eventually reaching the Willamette Valley.
5. Iditarod National Historic Trail
The Iditarod National Historic Trail commemorates the historic transportation and communication route across Alaska that connected the coastal communities of Seward and Nome through a network of trails, rivers, and mountain passes.
The trail was designated a National Historic Trail in 1978 and is approximately 2,400 miles in length when its various connecting routes are considered. It preserves the historic routes used by Native Alaskans, miners, mail carriers, freight haulers, and dog teams.
The trail became particularly important during the Alaska Gold Rush era, when communities in the interior and western Alaska depended upon dog sleds to transport mail, supplies, and people during the winter.
It is also associated with the famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race, although the modern race follows only portions of the historic trail.
The historic trail includes several important communities and locations, including:
- Seward
- Knik
- Iditarod
- McGrath
- Unalakleet
- Nome
One of the most important aspects of the Iditarod Trail is that it represents a preexisting Native Alaskan transportation network that was incorporated into the American transportation and mail system during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Unlike the Oregon Trail or California Trail, which are primarily associated with overland emigration, the Iditarod was fundamentally a transportation and communication corridor, particularly important because Alaska's geography made conventional roads extremely difficult to construct.
And, like the other National Historic Trails, the designation doesn't mean there is one continuous modern hiking trail. The designation encompasses a historic trail system and associated sites, segments, and resources along the original routes.