Pony Express National Historic Trail
Pony Express National Historic Trail is part of the National Trails System. It is not a park unit.
It is hard to believe that young men once rode horses to carry mail from Missouri to California in the unprecedented time of only 10 days. This relay system along the Pony Express National Historic Trail in eight states was the most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
There are no user or entry fees for the Pony Express National Historic Trail. Nominal fees may be charged at some trail-related federal, state, or locally owned historic sites and interpretive facilities. Please contact individual sites for more specific fee information.
Hours
| Pony Express National Historic Trail | Daily · All Day |
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- Become a Pony Express Trail Junior Ranger
Learn about the Pony Express Trail and earn your junior ranger badge! This activity can be completed virtually or after visiting a site along the Pony Express National Historic Trail. Booklets can be submitted either electronically or by mail.
Opens on the Park Service site - Walk on the Pony Express Trail
There are a variety of walking and hiking opportunities along the Pony Express Trail. In some places, you may find a modern-day hiking trail. In other places, the historic trail has been replaced by an dirt or asphalt road.
Opens on the Park Service site - Check out Museums and Visitor Centers along the Pony Express Trail
There are a number of museums and visitor centers along the Pony Express Trail. In some places, you may find more interpretive exhibits, information, and programs.
Opens on the Park Service site - Horseback Riding on the Pony Express Trail
Take a ride back in time on the Pony Express Trail! The variety of opportunities ranges from historic landscapes to modern views, and from short to longer trail rides.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for California's national parks
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Activities
Activity guides for this park Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks
Questions people ask
Does Pony Express charge an entrance fee?
No. Pony Express is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Pony Express open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
When was Pony Express established?
1860.
Source: Wikipedia
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
Nearby units
