• Brigham Young led Mormon pioneers into Utah to settle in the Salt Lake Valley.brigham young image by horacio villamonte from Fotolia.com
  
  Utah's historic trails were blazed by pioneers, mountain men, explorers and even the Pony Express. The first known trail was made in 1776 by missionaries looking for a way to connect missions in New Mexico to missions in southern California. Most emigrants passed through, seeking the warm climate of California, the ill-fated Donner Party among them. But the Mormons stayed and called the state home.
  
  

Mormon Trail

• The Mormons are a religious group who emigrated to Utah from Nauvoo, Illinois in 1846 seeking religious freedom. It took the first group two years to reach the Salt Lake Valley. After over wintering in what is now Omaha they made the second leg of their trip following the Oregon Trail until they reached Fort Bridger in Wyoming. At the fort, they broke from the well established Oregon Trail and followed the trail blazed by the ill-fated Reed-Donner party. They fought for roughly 116 miles through the Wasatch Mountains in the summer of 1847 and finally reached the valley on July 24. Modern day highways and interstates now trace the trail these pioneers took to their new home. Along the route are many historic sites for visitors to enjoy like Big Mountain Pass up Parley's Canyon where you can walk in the footsteps of pioneers.
  
  

CaliforniaTrail

• The Donner Party wasn't the first to cross through Utah on their way to California, but they are certainly the most famous. Convinced by guide Lansford Hastings that a route through Utah would save them almost 400 miles, Donner Party broke from the Oregon Trail at Fort Bridger in Wyoming and descended into Utah through the Wasatch Mountain range. In 1846 They cut a trail down Echo Canyon, over Big and Little Mountains and into Salt Lake Valley. They then skirted the Stansbury Mountains before crossing the Great Salt Lake Desert on their way to Pilot Peak. Crossing the desert proved to be disastrous. Their wagons got stuck in the salty sand, and many of their animals died from thirst. By the time they reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains they were low on supplies and in no shape to survive the severe winter weather.
  
  

Spanish Trail

• The Spanish Trail was in use from 1829 until the Mexican Cessation in 1848. Running 1,120 miles from Santa Fe to Los Angeles it was primarily a trade route for livestock. The original trail through Utah began at Monticello and passed by what are now Canyonlands and Arches National Parks before crossing the Green and Colorado Rivers. From there the trail cut across the southern edge of the Great Basin and into Mountain Meadows before crossing the northwestern corner of Arizona. After 1848, Mormon settlers began using the western part of the trail to travel between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. This portion of the trail is sometimes called the Mormon Road.