Fort Laramie National Historic Site, the Oregon Trail
in Wyoming
Fort Laramie once stood sentinel over the Oregon, California, and Mormon emigration trails; was a stop on the Pony Express route; and served as a staging ground for both peaceful and hostile dealings with Plains Indians. Its association with important figures, including Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, and historic events makes Fort Laramie an icon of the American West. The one-time Army post, now managed by the National Park Service as a national historic site, looks much as it did 150 years ago.
Site Information Location (965 Gray Rocks Road, Fort Laramie, Wyoming) A visitor center, museum, and 12 restored buildings help to tell its story. Audio-tour devices are available at the visitor center. Safety Considerations Fort Laramie National Historic Site National Historic Trail sites near Guernsey, Wyoming Oregon National Historic Trail California National Historic Trail Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail Pony Express National Historic Trail
- States
- Wyoming
- Trail type
- National Historic Site trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Denver, CO · 172 mi · ~5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 42.2037°, -104.5562°
About Fort Laramie National Historic Site
This trail is inside Fort Laramie National Historic Site, a national historic site managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/fort-laramie-national-historic-site-the-oregon-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/fola/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Fort Laramie National Historic Site, the Oregon Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.