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THE APPLEGATE TRAIL |
A VIRTUAL TOUR
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Here is a small collection of photos taken along the Applegate Trail, the South Road to Oregon. This segment of the emigrant trail stretches from Lassen Meadows located at the north end of present-day Rye Patch Reservoir in Nevada to Goose Lake in northern California and then across southern Oregon to its end near Ashland, Oregon.
Caution: This trail is one of the most remote segments of the emigrant trail to California or southern Oregon that you can travel over. Do not drive it alone; travel with at least one other vehicle because you can travel for all day along this trail and not see another person, house, or vehicle. CB radios and cell phones can not be used to call for help since their range is not long enough. Getting help if you need it can be very difficult if you are by yourself. It is also advised that you do not drive a long-bed, wide, or low-clearance vehicle over this trail. In addition you should remove any running boards or other type of steps from your vehicle before starting In spite of the cautions noted above, do drive this trail. It is awesome! Driving this trail will give you an appreciation of the hardships the emigrants experienced; an appreciation better than that available on most other segments of the trail to California. Now for a virtual tour of the Applegate Trail, The South Road to Oregon. |
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| Here is what the historical marker says about this trail. |
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EMIGRANT TRAIL CUTOFF Jesse and Lindsay Applegate headed south from Willamette Valley, Oregon, June 28, 1846, seeking a less hazardous route to that region from the east. On July 21, they came to a large meadow on the Humboldt River, what is now the nearby Rye Patch Reservoir. Thus they established the Applegate Trail. During the remainder of 1846 and for the next two years, Oregon emigrants successfully traveled this trail. In 1848, Peter Lassen, hoping to bring emigrants to his ranch, acted as a guide to a party of 10 to 12 wagons bound for California. He followed a route from here to Goose Lake where he turned southward over terrain that was barely passable. The emigrants suffered great hardships; many lives and livestock were lost. It became know as the "Death Route". |
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This photo was taken from slightly northwest of the mountain (you are looking south). That is the Black Rock Playa in the background. The area just south of Black Rock Mountain is environmentally sensitive and may have to be closed to camping, etc., if our use damages it further. Photo by Alison Portello. |
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This photo was taken at one of the camping areas used by the emigrants during their travel over the Applegate Trail. This camping area is located on a flat just before heading up to the top of Fly Canyon. Photo by Dick Brock. |
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You are now at the place where the emigrants had to start traveling through the canyons (Fly and High Rock). Would you like to continue your tour of the Applegate Trail through these canyons, or would you like to go back the Site Map and look at a different page?
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