Reviews of California Trail Interpretive Center (Museum)

Chandra Beth Vander Klay

Worth a stop!

Paulina Gurevich

Very large museum, with many interactive features for kids and adults alike. It's clear that there was a lot of thought put in to make the displays so sensory for visitors.

Daryn Anderson

Fantastic!

Crystal Mowles

Love this place, great gift shop.

Josephine Salazar

Free entry, very informative. Well with the time to visit.

Hilde Hendricks

Loved this place. Please allow some extra time there

Bobby Duncan

A good place to take the kids to learn about the pioneers that come through here on their way to California/ DONNER PARTY and about the native americans that live here before the settlers come..

arjunesh namboothiri

Trails are explained well. Considered the native American story also .

Marsha Keller

We loved it here! So much to see and learn about the trails. We went in the winter and it was beautiful. Staff was helpful but not intrusive. I especially loved the Donner party and the Pioneer group comparison dramatized.

Barrie Rempel

Awesome display of the wagon train times. Make time to stop here.

Karen Winter

Take the time to see this center about how the West was

Ashley Rose

Amazing gem in Elko! Very well-thought exhibit that tells the story of mid-19th century pioneers migrating to California. Such a significant period in American history and so well captured and documented in this museum. If you are in Elko don't miss it!

Karl Evanow

Very interesting place to visit and see how the pioneers forged a live in the West.

Selina Booth

A nice break from driving and checking out of History

Christopher Vallo

Must go! From the hands on exhibits to the amazing Native Artwork show by local children, the true struggles of those who went West can be felt. Educational, beautiful and friendly!

Chris Pressley

Never pass up a chance to visit this place.

Krystal Nash

Fantastic interactive museum. Bring your kids. Highly reccomend.

John LeSpade

Hidden gem

Yariv Shimron

Great work, junior ranger program. Very nice exebition. If you pay attention to the details you can see the use of mirrors and windows and how they compliment the exebition itself. Very nice seasonal exebition as well. Friendly staff and a great place to rest for a minute on the way.

Paul Christmas

Cool stop. Lots to see. History is always cool.

Gracie Womack

Couldn't go in had my dog. PETS NOT ALLOWED

Jan Roach

Fantastic center. I highly recommend it.

GORDON CORNELL

Very nice displays of the history of settlers heading to California.

Stephen Bilock

California Trail exhibit is outstanding recommended to everyone

Maggie Anderson

Extremely informative, spent a good hour or 2 in there, free to visit. Well worth a decent donation on leaving.

Alan Terry

Informative

B Hagan

I am so glad i stopped here. I thought i knew a lot about the pioneers, but there was so much more that i did not. I would recommend this, if in the area.

Jesse Richardson

Well done museum

AV S

Educational exhibits inside. Great experience for children and adults of all ages. Very informative regarding experiences of those who traveled the trails from East to West. The trials and triumphs of families, the failures and SUCCESS of the travelers of who did or did not make the treacherous journey.... ON FOOT!!! Enlightening educational experience for all. Free to public. Nice gift shop to purchase a token to rememer your visit. Highly recommended!

Noelia Dreaming

Beautiful!!

Cathy Klink

So well done. We read story accounts on outside of entrance. Some faced you where emigrants entered valley. By the time we entered, we were stirred to see more! Life size figures and murals some with narration some in a small theater setting. ALL was very well done. Go! Take family, friends, children. As you travel Northern Nevada, make this a must see stop. A real piece of our history!.

Marialicia Leon

A wonderful learning experience. The exhibits are interactive and informative. Strongly recommended.

Kathleen Brune

Really well done learning experience about the California/Oregon Trail. Love places that are staffed by our National Parks personnel! They are always knowledgeable and passionate about our history.

Elizabeth McNay

Great FREE museum. Amazing artwork and easy self guided tour. Friendly and helpful staff too! Cute little gift shop with a big book selection (perfect for holiday shopping).

rodeorulz15

So much information! Be prepared for a long visit if you plan to read everything, watch the videos, and hike. We spent over an hour and a half and still didn't have enough time to do it all.

Leathem M.

A great place to stop and learn. If you're near here and travelling on interstate 80 tou're already following the old conestoga wagon trail, so why not spend some time learning about it. The exhibits are great, with many of them kid-friendly. The movie on the Donner Party tragedy well done and chilling (though the sound coul be louder).

Linda Neal

Very informative, and scheduled fun activities but call ahead to find out dates

M Connors

Outstanding! Great place for a "pit stop" along I-80. Really gives you an appreciation for what those pre-railroad emigrants went through getting to California. Clean bathrooms too, which is nice.

Joe Merritt

Pretty cool

Connie Miles

Great place, kids enjoyed it. Even liked the gift shop.

Jay Miller

This place had plenty for the whole family. The history presented was top notch.

CrzyNV Miles

Amazing place. Free! Fantastic workshops, great staff. Clean restrooms all in all just a great place.

Marilyn Seay

Excellent program. First class facility with outstanding historical displays. Very informative.

Jo Tipton-Swofford

So informative

lucas strauss

Very well put together interpretive museum and park. Interesting diorama/ displays. Excellent, if expensive, gift shop. Knowledgeable docent/ volunteers. Plenty of parking. Clean bathrooms. Trails, an overlook, statues. A great place to stop when travelling boring old interstate 80.

Jeanne Dunchus

Great place to visit...lots of history.. very informative.

Bill Oelklaus

Real complete presentations of the trail history. Well worth the stop for adults and children.

Dennis Jennings

Excellent, very life like diorama displays, and rich personal and historical text on info panels. Very rich, moving experience.

A Cutt

Very awesome exhibit! Free too. Bring your family. All ages will enjoy this place!

Crystal Leschke

It was very educational and fun and qlso has trails to walk.

Rob Pollard

You can finish the while thing in ten minutes or an hour. Really well done with plenty of middle, diaramas, & interactive exhibits for all ages. Great location for a break from a roadtrip.

Pete Brautigam

Cool place to learn right off the road.

Sharon Nelson

We always learn new things at the California trail Center!

Linda Wagner

I was skeptical, but this a small, engaging museum won me over! One hour is adequate, although there are plenty of activities if you have a half day.

Dawn Burwell

Great place to spend the afternoon, learn some local history, and spend time with the family.

Martin Fraas

History of land routes from East to West and the early settlers pioneering these routes. Very entertaining and informative.

Alan Marvin

Very nice historical museum. Lots of interesting exhibits and out door recreations.

Wanda Metcalf

Some interesting facts and perspectives I was unaware of . Not a restaurant.

Chris Motley

Really great info on California trail

Ted Miller

Amazing place. Must see.

Andrea M.

Worth stopping by, very informative and full of history. Wonderful exhibits and hands-on displays!

Christi Chabot-Bushell

Great please to check out!

Steve Dubi

what a gem .. we needed a break from a long drive, and it was a perfect place to pull over and hang out.. very interesting exhibits, well maintained. if our life ever takes us that path again, will definitely visit again

skittleydo Kate

So fun every one is so nice

Anderson Barbosa

Some displays almost make you feel a part of the story, very detailed information throughout.

Coke Miller

Great place to take a break from driving & lots to learn

Colleen Amaral

Very interesting place lots of things to see

Sherry Fritz

I enjoyed my visit very much. Plus my dog was allowed (leashed) on the outdoor trails. They have a little gift shop. Oh, and it's free. Lots of wildlife: birds, a snake, a lizard, and prairie dogs. Nice views.

Roberta Givens

Happened to be in the area and have wanted to go here for for a long time. I was lucky to be here durning trail days so it was an added bonus!

Margo Anderson

A beautiful place that is very informative and interactive. Love their presentations too.

Kristen Jones

Very helpful staff. Informative museum. Much better than I expected. Great selection in gift shop. Learned quite a bit. Clean bathrooms.

Bob Guillory

A very nice find along interstate 80 in Nevada. Very much worth a visit!

Garrette Eastep

Awesome! A must see!

Michele Harris

Very well done. The exhibits are beautiful and very informative. I really got a sense of the struggle pioneers or emigrants faced. I would highly recommend visiting the museum.

Chris Spencer

A great mini museum about the historic westward migration to California and Oregon

Bryce Waddell

It is a must see. By far one of the most interesting and informative places that I have been.

SJ

Worth seeing, hiking, and enjoying! Show some love so this place doesn't disappear.

Nancy Carroll

A wonderful, informative experience. We traveled the California trail to California. This center made our trip west much more interesting.

Mary Wong

We had passed the Interpretive Center a few times on trips from California to Salt Lake City. In June 2017 we finally stopped, and were rewarded with exhibit that allowed the family to put on clothing and handle tools, toys, and utensils similar to those used by people of the mid-19th century. A docent dressed in appropriate clothes showed how to start a fire using a fire-starting kit with flint and blackened cloth squares. We estimated how much water would have to be carried along, especially over the desert sections of the trail. We saw the types of things that emigrants dumped along the way to lighten the load.

Wilson Stewart

Very nice bit of history at no charge

Chris Hanna

We were so impressed with this museum and it was on our go to list for awhile.

Scooter Michaels

Great hands on activities. Learning is fun.

C

Great informative displays, knowledgable staff!

Cami

Several years ago, I had friends visiting from Asia and we noticed signs on the side of the road and went to the California trail interpretive center. I'm so glad we did! We had so much fun! The exhibits are interactive and really deepened my understanding of what my ancestors went through as they trekked West. I also appreciate that there was some space dedicated to the history of the native people, and an honest look at their experiences. It's important to have a balanced view and I wish there were more of that. I still make it a point to stop in whenever I pass. The California trail interpretive center is a jewel on the otherwise rather boring, long drive over the 80.

Lincoln Anderson

Pretty cool place. It's a good activity.

Mrs Cloverfields

Fun place to learn about Western expansion. Nice exhibits and gift shop.

ronald riseman

Excellent walk through the history of the journey West. Diaramas gave life to the stories.

Bradley Anderson

Very informative and interesting place to visit. Well worth the stop along the freeway.

Val Yu

It's a well designed and a well maintained place. When travel through I-80, stop here, have a rest and realize the people on the same way in history. How nice.

Alex Mejia

Excellent! It's a museum with outdoor exhibits and hikes. They were very welcoming and nice. It's a great place to take a quick break. The restrooms were clean.

David Stevens

Great presentation on the Chinese and the railroads.

Lill Cheese

Nice little free museum providing a well needed cool (er) break from a long drive. There's a decent amount not only about the settlers but also the Native Americans and their reactions to the influx. I was really happy to see the temporary art exhibit featuring Native American youth artwork. Definitely worth a stop. A cafe & gas station might improve it a little.

Katie Hunsaker

This was a fun place to stop and take a break from traveling.

Crazy horse

Very cool place to visit. Great history and overall great place to visit

Jon Pruett

If you are in the Elko area I highly recommend this place. Very informative and free. Great displays and special events.

Sly Wombat

Worth the stop

Melissa Holcomb

Surprise! Seemed like empty miles of desert away from anywhere when noticed a small government -type sign on I 80. So glad we pulled off and saw a building in the distance, which turned out to be the visitor center. It is an amazing, beautifully and professionally designed history center. One complaint: needs better highway signage! Hate to think of people missing it.

Lee Ann Mitchell

I love this place! This is the first about the California trail. I have always heard about the Oregon trail. So this is nice. The only complaint is the prairie dogs. They are cute animals but they carry diseases. I was surprised to see many of them only few feet away. So be careful when you take the outside tour.

Cindy Larsen

very nice please

Christy Riley

Can't visit this place just once, so much to see and learn!

Roberta Andruska

Great stop to stretch your legs and learn about the history of emmigrants on their way to California through this area.

Ben K

Friendly people and great interactive displays.

Robert Stenson

A lot of interesting facts that you may not have been aware of. I found the comparison of oxen, horses and mules interesting as working stock on wagon trains.

Don Bri

What a nice surprise, great little interpretive center with lots of displays, about the wagon trains that moved through the area on the way to California. The Donner parties fait is explained, in a short video in the theater.

Danny Dotson

A first class BLM museum that tells the story of the immigrants along the Calif. Trail. Clean and modern with excellent displays. Easy to get to, right off I-80.

Raelynn Anderson

Very nice displays & lots of information inside & out. Our whole family had a good time!

Chance Heiner

Had a fantastic time learninh about and making butter at the Junior Ranger Program.

Todd Moyer

What an amazing place. The staff was very helpful. The exhibits were extremely informative and well thought out. Its laid out as if you were walking the trail itself.

Marlene Williams

Very interesting museum about pioneers coming to California. This was our second visit and will visit again when we can visit the outside displays. January weather was too cold for the outside areas.

Lori Clark

Very nice walk through history. Interesting well put together.

Vicky Ferguson

Fabulous. Keep going back

Richard Bell

Amazing exhibits. Very informative and well worth stopping by.

Brent Bolen

It is hard for me to imagine what it must have been like to make this trip in a covered wagon pulled by horses. I mean here I am doing 75 or 80, but never over the speed limit. When I get hungry I can pull into a McDonalds and not have to hunt for chukars or wildebeests or what ever they have that lives around here. Don’t even get me started on what it must have been like to be at the party that the Donner family had. Too soon?

Peter Giers

This place is out away from the town's but is worth the effort. Very informative.

Jeff Hagen

Just very interesting and surprisingly well done. Also a good break on a monotonous road trip across Nevada

John Clark

Kids loved this place. Good pit stop with RV parking

Casey Sheehan

Do not drive past ! Even if you have just a casual interest in the California Trail, you will find this center entertaining and informative. Extremely helpful staff, movies and many exhibits. The kids will also enjoy the stop. Plan on 2 hours if you have the time.

Bogdan M Kwiatek

Turned there by intuitive nose. Stayed there for more then one hour due to so many informations and new perspectives for detailed knowledge. All California lovers should stop there and visit.

Rick Heil

A really nice hidden gem of a museum focused on the undertold history of the great western migration of the mid nineteenth century. The center is very human centric with stories and belongings in many expressive diaramas telling the stories those who walked from the Midwest to California and Oregon. A very worthy stop along your modern journey across Nevada.

Kehl Mandt

Good descriptions of the life of trans continental Americans on their wagons west to california

Anne Wolke

This is a very nice interpretive center, and believe me, I've seen a few interpretive centers. Highly recommended!

Judy Maddox

Excellent place. Great displays on history.

Jim Zaworski

This is a wonderful educational interpretive center chronicling the emigrant trail to California. There is a museum with displays inside and outside. There are some lovely bronze statues representing native people as well as emigrants en route. There are also reconstruction of native dwellings and covered wagons, to scale.

David Gleason

A must see for families. Very educational. Love the elephant.

Debbie Wood

Very well done, so many awesome exhibits with alot of information! Well worth the stop!

Bethany B.

This museum is a MUST SEE if you love everything ‘Oregon Trail’! Even if you don’t... so much rich history given and the gift shop is great too! You can easily spend an hour here if you take your time and read through everything! Gives a great perspective of what life was like on the treacherous Oregon Trail!

Mia

Amazing place. Can't believe it's free! Perfect stop on I-80 with easy hiking trails and everything. Fun exhibits and a gorgeous building. Definitely worth the visit.

Cecilia Allison

It is a great exhibition of the history of the trail. It is well arranged and clean. I like that the information given is not lengthy. It is easy to read and follow. They did a good job with the replicas. I would recommend visiting the center. You will learn a lot about the troubles the immigrant went thru to get to California. I like that it is free admission.

Rachel Williams

Good for kids. Hands on and a cute little place

Susie Soh

Educational and fun place to visit. No charge to go in to the center.

Jay A Watterson

Good break on the drive across Nevada. Could spend hours their.

Joshua Contois

This visitor center is an absolute must-see, must-do stop for anyone driving along I-80. The exhibits are fully interactive and highly educational. It was great not only to get out of the car and stretch my legs but also to have fun while doing so. The absolute best feature of this visitor center are it's wonderful staff. They are extremely informative and passionate about the subject matter. After spending 30 minutes here, I can definitely say I have "seen the elephant" too!

Jerica Silvernagel

Many many opportunities to live out our roots when home is northern Nevada.

Dale Eagar

While on my summer road trip to escape the heat of the valley of the sun and to visit family, I included stops at as many Oregon and California Trail sites as I could hit. This Interpretative centeris a great place to get a big picture view of what life was like for those pioneers.

Jairus Duncan

Good place to stop when traveling and a nice spot for activities if you're local.

Linda Bunyan

Put this on your List Do list! Fantastic!!!

Chelsea Lewis

So much fun for the whole family

Michele Nitta

Amazing and educational! My kids loved it and we all learned a lot!

Yue Yin

Small but worth going. A great educational place. Staff dressed like the old time, she is very friendly and shared a lot of historic stories.

Brandon Pedersen

This was a great place to take the kids for a break on a long journey. There are some toys that the emigrants used that the kids were able to play with for quite a while. Then we learned a bunch about the people that traveled on the trail. We were able to spend quite a bit of time there but still didn't have time to read and look at everything. The stories from these pioneers are sometimes heartbreaking but so interesting to see how and why they traveled.

Ken and Alicia Lund

This is was such an unexpectedly awesome museum. And its free! It is hard to find interesting leg-stretching spots on the drive on Interstate 80 from Reno to Salt Lake, but this is a must stop location if you are at all interested in history. It is a really comprehensive museum detailing the California Trail which ran right through here. It is a great museum for kids with a lot of kid-friendly exhibits. I can't stress enough how well done this museum is. Very, very informative. Great bookstore as well.

Scott Fredricey

It was one of the most important of small museums I've been in Across the Nation

Maximilian Hantsch

Great information on the history of the California trail. Makes a great stop halfway between Reno and Salt Lake City.

Lucifer DeFeo

Great place They did an Excellent Job Displaying The exhibits

Jeremy Van deventer

Worth a quick stop. Plus, it might be the cleanest public restrooms for a 100 miles either way.

Dennis Amaral

Wonderful experience

Mike Watkins

THE MALE GUIDE WAS VERY INFORMATIVE ABOUT THE DONNER PARTY AND RELATED INFORMATION. THIS LEVEL 6 GUIDE WOULD RECOMMEND.

Billy Hall

Really nice facility and a great stop for kids. I was unenthused by the heavy emphasis on the Donner Party, although we understand thar sensational story did illustrate the hardships and risks taken by those on the California Trail. The kids truly enjoyed the hands on experience, and we all liked the sign language/trading exhibit and the exhibit with Native American toys/tools and the modern day counterparts. So many opportunities for kids and adults to learn and experience trail life. Definitely make time for this stop.

Greg Waters

Very informative.

Janet Joyce

Wonderful historical experience! Gives beautiful examples of what life of the pioneers must have been like.

Austen Morse

The education series the center has been doing is fabulous. Both kids and adults alike can learn interesting and useful information that dates back to the pioneer days. The center itself is clean and well kept. The exhibits are informative and interactive. Highly recommended!

Chandelle Brink

The best free history stop ever!

pam morgan

Great adventure, we backtracked 10 miles to find it-worth it! Building, artifacts, paintings all beautiful. Staff (I missed getting this photographer/former schoolteachers name ) walked around and filled us with fascinating historical lore. Worth a stop. We spent an hour and could have stayed longer. Great job there :)

Ray Hopper

Lifelike figurines and comprehensive signage populate the large interpretive display, depicting the trials of these hardy and brave pioneers. You can almost feel the desperation as well as the hope that must have driven them.

Alicia

This is such an interesting place. It's tucked away off the 80. It tells the poignant stories of trail blazers. It's exciting, somber and just so unique. The trials of people blazing trails is incredible. I highly recommend checking this out. It's free to enter, operates on donations and a really neat gift shop. The displays and dioramas are just awesome. It is one of the best museums/centers I've seen done. It's pretty new so I'm guessing alot of thought went into it being so amazing. Even has gender neutral bathrooms. Plenty of parking and fair amount of visitor traffic . It's in the middle of nowhere, and if you blink you'll miss the sign. If driving 80 through northern Nevada, make sure you plan it out!

Eileen Haflich

Amazing slice of western history. An incredible interpretive center that should not be missed. The most complete visual and descriptive display of the migration west I have ever seen. Outstanding.

geronimo perez

What a great exhibition. Very clean bathrooms. All kinds of history and information on all the trails leading to California. I highly recommend stopping.

Carla Gormon

This is one of the nicest museum and interactive center!