The Salt Lake Cut-Off on the California National Historic Trail is one of the
many shortcuts that branched from the California, Mormon and Oregon Trails. It
led northwest out of Salt Lake City, Utah and north of the Great Salt Lake for
about 180 miles (290 km) before rejoining the Ft. Hall route of the California
Trail near the City of Rocks, Idaho.

In 1848, a recently discovered pack train route was blazed into a passable
wagon road by members of the Mormon Battalion returning from California to
Salt Lake. Word spread quickly that a good road with good grass and water was
passable out of Salt Lake City back to the California or Oregon Trail. When
the gold-crazy emigrants of 1849 heard of this new route to the California
gold fields, many thousands detoured to Salt Lake City to get new supplies and
livestock. Mormons in Utah set up a thriving trading business with the new
influx of emigrant trains.

The Salt Lake Cut-Off on the California National Historic Trail is one of the many shortcuts that branched from the California, Mormon and Oregon Trails. It led northwest out of Salt Lake City, Utah and north of the Great Salt Lake for about 180 miles (290 km) before rejoining the Ft. Hall route of the California Trail near the City of Rocks, Idaho. </p>In 1848, a recently discovered pack train route was blazed into a passable wagon road by members of the Mormon Battalion returning from California to Salt Lake. Word spread quickly that a good road with good grass and water was passable out of Salt Lake City back to the California or Oregon Trail. When the gold-crazy emigrants of 1849 heard of this new route to the California gold fields, many thousands detoured to Salt Lake City to get new supplies and livestock. Mormons in Utah set up a thriving trading business with the new influx of emigrant trains.

Bird's eye view of the park

California National Historic Trail (NHT), Salt Lake Cut-Off

The Hastings Cutoff route was used from 1846 to 1850 by pioneers and gold
rushers attempting to save 300 miles off the normal route to California via
Idaho. This route was first pioneered by the Fremont expedition in 1845 and
promoted a year later by the ambitious Lansford W. Hastings as a shorter route
to the Humboldt River in Nevada. However, the Hastings Cutoff involved a
perilous 90-mile waterless trek across the Great Salt Lake Desert sand dunes
and mud flats in mid-summer heat with heavy wagons. The arduous crossing
proved to be agonizing for emigrant parties, and many valuable livestock and
wagons were lost to the merciless, punishing desert heat.

The Hastings Cutoff route was used from 1846 to 1850 by pioneers and gold rushers attempting to save 300 miles off the normal route to California via Idaho. This route was first pioneered by the Fremont expedition in 1845 and promoted a year later by the ambitious Lansford W. Hastings as a shorter route to the Humboldt River in Nevada. However, the Hastings Cutoff involved a perilous 90-mile waterless trek across the Great Salt Lake Desert sand dunes and mud flats in mid-summer heat with heavy wagons. The arduous crossing proved to be agonizing for emigrant parties, and many valuable livestock and wagons were lost to the merciless, punishing desert heat.

California National Historic Trail (NHT), Salt Lake Cut-Off

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California National Historic Trail (NHT), Hastings Cutoff

Wildcat Hills Designated Routes