PENDLETON — While Oregon looks far different than it did when pioneers trekked through the state in the 1800s, the ruts left by their wagons are still visible throughout Eastern Oregon.

Some of the ruts are on government-owned land, maintained by the U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management.

“Some have been preserved by families and private landowners,” said Sam Pambrun of Pendleton.

Pambrun is a fervent advocate for protection of what is left of the trail ruts, and provided a description of 30 different locations marking the trail’s crossing.

For Eastern Oregon residents looking to travel in a past generation’s footsteps, he recommends starting at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City. The center’s operations have been impacted by COVID-19, so it’s a good idea to check on the latest hours and availability before visiting, but even if the museum is closed, the site still offers four miles of outdoor interpretive trails and panels along the visible ruts.

From the interpretive center, heading west on Interstate 84, Pambrun said there are several places where ruts are visible along both sides of the freeway from Baker City to North Powder if you know where to look, and ruts are visible running up the hill to Ladd Canyon at the end of Ladd Canyon-North Powder Road, which runs parallel to Interstate 84 west of North Powder.

Back on I-84, ruts can be seen on the south side of the interstate. At the bottom of Ladd Canyon, the Oregon Trail crosses the interstate to the south, near the Charles Reynolds Rest Area at milepost 269, about nine miles east of La Grande. The rest area has historical interpretive panels on site.

If travelers get back on I-84 westbound for another mile and exit again at Foothill Road, they can access a short stretch of Hot Lake Lane, where a new interpretive site opened in 2020. The Lower Ladd Canyon Oregon Trail interpretive site was created by historian Ronnie Allen and includes historical artifacts, interpretive panels and a site tube to help visitors pick out the ruts among the brush.

A mile east of La Grande, there are more interpretive panels where the trail turned up Gekeler Lane, and at the Starkey Rest Stop on I-84 past La Grande, another area where emigrants used to camp.

One of the easiest places near La Grande to see authentic Oregon Trail ruts is the Blue Mountain Crossing Interpretive Site. The official interpretive site, located 16 miles east of La Grande, provides access to a well-preserved set of Oregon Trail ruts accessible by a network of three paved hiking trails that range in length from one-fourth of a mile to three-fourths of a mile.

The site is open Memorial Day through Labor Day and maintained by the U.S. Forest Service. It includes restrooms, picnic areas, drinking water and interpretive panels. It can be accessed off of exit 284 on I-84.

Continuing west, Pambrun said the trail mostly followed the old Highway 30 to Emigrant Springs State Park, another area where pioneers used to camp. The park includes an “interpretive shelter” and covered wagon display, as well as modern day camping opportunities. There are also Oregon Trail ruts visible from the Deadman Pass Rest Area near milepost 228 of I-84, which also provides interpretive panels with information about the trail and the area.

From there, the trail crosses part of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The trail split into two parts at this point, with one crossing the prairie near Adams and Athena to the Whitman Mission before heading down the Walla Walla River, along the south bank of the Columbia River to Hat Rock State Park, cutting through Hermiston roughly where Diagonal Road is today, and into the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

The only remaining visible ruts along that path are on private land, Pambrun said. But while the ruts on the Umatilla Chemical Depot have been fenced off behind U.S. Army security for decades, the public will have an opportunity to see a section at a planned new interpretive site, which will be built after the Army finishes transferring the shuttered depot back to control of a coalition of local governments.

The other branch of the Oregon Trail, which pioneers used after 1847, continued to Pendleton from the reservation. An interpretive panel and stone monument commemorating the trail’s path through the area, placed in 1906 by pioneer Ezra Meeker, can be found on Tutuilla Road at the edge of Olney Cemetery in Pendleton.

From the cemetery, Pambrun said, the Oregon trail followed Southwest 28th Street before crossing the Umatilla River at the current wastewater treatment plant and heading up the hill. The ruts visible to the north of I-84 on Reith Ridge outside Pendleton are on private property, Pambrun said, but can be seen from the interstate for those who know where to look. The same goes for ruts that cross I-84 farther east.

The city of Echo has several locations of well-preserved ruts from the Oregon Trail in its vicinity. The Echo Meadows Oregon Trail Site west of town provides access to about one mile of visible trail ruts on Bureau of Land Management Land.

According to the BLM, Echo Meadows was a popular “nooning place” from 1847-1860, where pioneers would stop mid-day to rest and eat.

To access the site from Echo, cross the bridge over the Umatilla River and drive 5.5 miles west, then turn right (north) on the gravel road there that will lead to a parking lot. There you will find a half-mile paved trail (one way) with interpretive signs along the way. The site is open for day use year round, although there are no restroom facilities or drinking water available.

Also near Echo is the Corral Springs site. The one-fourth of a mile of visible Oregon Trail ruts are located on privately owned land, but available for viewing to members of the public who remain respectful of the property. The site is five miles southeast of Echo on County Road 1300, also known as Old Highway 30 or the Umatilla County Scenic-Historic Road.

When visitors return to the city of Echo, they can visit Fort Henrietta Park on Main Street. The park includes a covered wagon display and more interpretive panels about the history of the Oregon Trail in the area and the history of Echo. The park also includes additional historical displays, an antique fire equipment museum, RV park, campground, playground and skate park.

From Echo, the trail crossed the current location of Madison Ranch and Wells Springs. Pambrun said there are ruts that have been preserved along that area, but all are on private property not open to the public. The ruts continue to the Navy’s Boardman Bombing Range, where access is also restricted but ruts are at some points visible from outside the range. They head to Cecil, an unincorporated community in Morrow County, and continue west, eventually stopping at The Dalles.