Aside from a jogger or two and a family walking their dogs, I’m the only one out here for most of the hike. The land is constantly evolving.Īnd yet it’s still distinctly wild here. Historic mile post marking the path of the original trail. Plan a fishing trip with our fishing guide. The waters of the Boise River still teem with bass, trout and steelhead. In fact, the basalt rocks the carvings are etched are hardened lava leftover from underwater volcanoes millions of years ago.
This desert once used to be part of a sea that stretched as far as the eye could see, lush and full of life. Here I am, just miles outside the fastest growing city in America and I’m looking at something that was carved thousands of years ago.Īnd the terrain itself is even older. Tracing the etchings with my fingers, I think it’s unreal to see something so old, made by the hands of someone who lived in a world so entirely different from the one I live in now. Even after centuries of winters, fires and floods, the stories still remain. These carvings include maps of old hunting grounds, legends and tribal histories, all preserved thousands of years later. The nomadic tribes of the Shoshone and Bannock people developed settlements, hunted and farmed this land for over 14,500 years.įurther up the trail from the lookout, there are still petroglyphs - prehistoric rock carvings - etched into the towering basalt rock faces along the trail. To them, home was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Thousands of years ago, nomadic tribes moved in time with the seasons, following the path of migrating game. The clear blue skies, the desert wind blowing through the sagebrush and wildflowers, the rugged rock faces hanging over the Boise River…The landscape is lonely and yet strangely comforting.īasalt cliffs overlooking the Boise River left from underwater volcanoes millions of years ago.īut the land has a rich history that stretches back even further than the first pioneers who passed through. But even still there’s something hauntingly beautiful about this place.
If the pioneer graves were evenly spaced along the length of the trail, there would be a grave every 50 yards from Missouri to Oregon City.Ĭreepy, yes. It’s essentially the nation’s longest graveyard.
Most of the deaths were caused by cholera, but countless others died of starvation, accidental shootings or skirmishes with Native American tribes. An estimated 400,000 pioneers used the 2,000 mile trail and its three main branches to start a new life in the West - approximately 10 percent of them died along the way. It was the only trade post for miles, and many died just trying to get here. The trails here follow right along the path of the original Oregon Trail, which the pioneers used to travel to the West.īack in the 1800s, Boise was an important stop along the Oregon Trail. This is the Oregon Trail Reserve, a 77-acre site right outside Southeast Boise. Walking along the same path pioneers used over 100 years ago.