Mr.Nussbaum
3/24/25- MrNussbaum.com is perfect for teachers, homeschooling parents, and most of all students. It's ONLY $29 per year. No student limits. Unlock all content, eliminate ads, and gain access to 12,000 engaging and interactive resources in all subject areas for grades K-8. CREATED by a TEACHER and serving millions of students.

Advertisement

Remove ad
Home > Westward Expansion - Pioneers and Westward Trails > California Trail Interactive Map

California Trail Interactive Map

This is an interactive tour map of the California Trail that allows students to click on important points from Independence, Missouri, to Sutter's Fort, California.

Sierra Nevada Range

Sierra Nevada Mountains

Fortune Seekers and 49ers

The California Trail was one of several major routes used by settlers during westward expansion. The trail itself followed the same path as the Oregon Trail until Fort Hall, Idaho, where it spiraled southwest along the Humboldt River through the Great Basin of Nevada, the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, and finally to Sutter's Fort, (Sacramento) California.

Over 250,000 gold-seekers and farmers-to-be used the trail to seek fortune in the mines, or, to settle on farm homesteads from the late 1840's to the late 1860's. Like most of the overland migration trails, the California Trail was no longer used after the introduction of the railroads.

Next Stop: Independence

California Trail Map

California Trail Stops

Introduction
Independence
Great Plains
Chimney Rock
Fort Laramie
Rocky Mountains
Fort Hall
Great Basin
Sierra Nevada Range
Sutter's Fort

Advertisement

Remove ad

Related activities