View Full Version : Pony Express National Historic Trail
Peakhunter
11-08-2012, 21:59
Anyone ever hike it? If so tell us about your experience and points of interest!
WingedMonkey
11-09-2012, 09:11
It is not a hiking trail.
It is not a hiking trail.
Parts of it are though.
http://www.nps.gov/poex/planyourvisit/things2do.htm
You hike part of it when you do the CDT.
Probably would not want to hike it a but a mix hiking/biking trip is probably do-able (if you can secure permission through private areas and/or find alt routes). A quick google search shows others who have done that as well (at least in sections).
Peakhunter
11-10-2012, 00:46
It is not a hiking trail.
I knew had a lot of road but I didn't know it was all road.
WingedMonkey
11-10-2012, 09:58
It's not that it's all road, it's the type of "trails" you are looking at when you mention this one or the "Trail of Tears National Historic Trail in another thread.
National Historic Trails are protected areas containing historic trails and surrounding areas. Although a part of National Trails System they are not set aside as designated hiking trails. Some parts are only historical reference points and some parts may still be in wilderness.
National Scenic Trails which include eleven designated hiking corridors including The Appalachian Trail and The Pacific Crest Trail.
And then to confuse the issue we have National Recreation Trails. These can be short or long, hiking, biking, paddling or multi use Green-ways. About anything that promotes "health, conservation, and recreation".
All of them are under the broad umbrella of The National Trails System.
I heard of one guy who did it through NV. He had to gain permission from 26 individual private landowners to do it just in that state alone. Took some barbed wire fence hopping too. I think it would be extremely logistically complicated attempting to do the whole route either as a thru-hike or even in long sections and that's IF there even exists just ONE route. My best guess is that the route has multiple alternates. The route, if there exists one route, most likely is out in some VERY VERY desolate mid west/western wilderness areas including desert environments. It's probably not a simple defined point to point route. After some recent preliminary research I did while hiking in Nevada and considering hiking the Mormon Trail I found that several routes/trails like the Pony Express, Butterfield/Overland Stage Route, Mormon Trail, California Trail, etc, basically historical trails that ran east/west, often had alternates. These long trails/routes now typically cross many private lands in each state they go through AND some parts of these routes/trails have been basically obliterated in sections though it may seem they are currently continuous as they are historically described and mapped out.
Peakhunter
11-11-2012, 14:49
Nice info from everyone, thanks