How long was the Oregon Trail, and how long did it take?
2,170 miles (3,490 km) from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, and about four to five and a half months on the trail. Emigrants averaged about 15 miles a day. Here is the journey in numbers, and how it compares with Lewis and Clark.
The numbers
3,492 km · 2,169.8 miles, in steps
| A child, 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) | about 7,029,000 steps |
| 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) | about 5,271,700 steps |
| 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in), the average adult | about 4,961,600 steps |
| 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) | about 4,686,000 steps |
| 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) | about 4,439,400 steps |
| A giraffe, 5.5 m (18 ft) | no idea, sorry |
Step length is about 41% of height. Give or take 10% for how you walk.
How long it takes to walk
| A stroll, 4 km/h | 36 days |
| A normal walk, 5 km/h | 29 days |
| A brisk walk, 6 km/h | 24 days |
Walking without stops, on level ground.
Calories, by body weight
| 55 kg (121 lb) | about 122,429 kcal (162,762 incl. resting) |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | about 155,819 kcal (207,152 incl. resting) |
| 85 kg (187 lb) | about 189,209 kcal (251,541 incl. resting) |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | about 222,599 kcal (295,931 incl. resting) |
The walk's own cost at 5 km/h. The second number adds what you would have burned sitting still, which is what some fitness trackers show.
On a reTrek route
3,492 km is about 4.5 times the Camino de Santiago.
About the Camino de Santiago routeTry your own distance
Steps
about 4,961,600
4,465,500 to 5,457,800 depending on your stride, about 0.70 m a step at this height.
Distance
3,492.0 km · 2,169.8 miles
Time on foot
29 days
at 5 km/h, no stops
Calories
Depends on your weight more than anything else. Enter it to see an estimate.
That is about 4.5 times the Camino de Santiago.
How long was the Oregon Trail?
About 2,170 miles (3,490 km), from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon. Many emigrants stopped short of Oregon City and settled elsewhere along the way, so not everyone travelled the full length. The National Park Service says more than 2,000 miles of wagon ruts and traces can still be seen today, across the West from Missouri to Oregon.
How long did the Oregon Trail take?
About four to five and a half months. Journeys took around 160 to 170 days in 1843, the year of the first big wagon trains, and 120 to 140 days by 1860, once ferries and better roads had been added. Oregon and California emigrants averaged about 15 miles (24 km) a day. About 400,000 people used the trail and its branches, with traffic heaviest from 1846 to 1869, when the first transcontinental railroad opened.
At a modern walker’s pace of 5 km/h (3.1 mph), 3,490 km is about 700 hours of walking. At the emigrants’ 15 miles a day, it is 145 days. At a fast pilgrim’s 35 km a day, about 100 days.
How many steps is the Oregon Trail?
About 5 million steps for an adult of average height. At 10,000 steps a day, that is about 500 days, a year and four months of ordinary walking.
The Oregon Trail vs Lewis and Clark
The Lewis and Clark expedition was a different kind of journey. It left from near St. Louis in May 1804, reached the Pacific coast, and returned to St. Louis in September 1806, 862 days later. Much of it was travelled by boat, up the Missouri and down the Clearwater, Snake and Columbia rivers, with long stretches on foot over the mountains. The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail that follows the expedition’s routes today runs nearly 4,900 miles through 16 states.
A reason to walk today
Most of us know we should walk more and still skip it, because “go for a walk” has no finish line. reTrek gives you one: pick a famous route, like the Camino de Santiago or the Inca Trail, and every walk moves you further along it, with a short film about the place waiting at each milestone. Instead of fitting in a walk for its own sake, you walk to reach the next milestone.
Walk it with a friend and pool your steps, or race them there. Everest Base Camp is free. Get reTrek.
Other distances
Sources: Oregon Trail, Wikipedia · Oregon National Historic Trail, National Park Service · Lewis and Clark Expedition, Wikipedia · Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, National Park Service