Following the Oregon Trail in Eastern Oregon

Between the Idaho border and The Dalles, Oregon, there are many Oregon Trail site, here are just a few of them.

One of the first Oregon Trail sites in Eastern Oregon is Farewell Bend State Park. Oregon Trail travelers trekked along the Snake River most of the way through Idaho and into Oregon. Farewell Bend State Park, just 25 mile from the Idaho border, was the last stop on the Snake River, before the wagons headed into the forest and over the Blue Mountains to the Columbia River.

Today, it’s a large state park with a moderate size campground for tents and rv’s, a day-use area, and some short trails. There’s a historic looking wagon at the entrance and a small sign confirming that it’s an Oregon Trail site.

On highway 30 between Farewell Bend and Huntington, there is a small sign commemorating the Van Ornum Massacre. It didn’t end well for these travelers.

Just to the west of LaGrande is Blue Mountain Interpretive Park at exit 248 on I-84, run by the US Forest Service. It’s a small site just off the highway where the Oregon Trail’s route through the Blue Mountains is still visible.

Emigrant Springs State Heritage Site is a state park in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon between Pendleton and LaGrande, right off I-84. The area was used a camping spot for the Oregon Trail travelers and today there is a small campground.

There are still visible Oregon Trail wagon ruts scattered across the country. Some are easier to get to, and some take a bit more work, one small stretch that is easy to find in Eastern Oregon on the Columbia River is near Biggs Junction right off the Biggs-Rufus Highway between Deschutes State Park and Biggs Junction. You can even see them on Google Maps satellite view.