For many Utah Valley youth, Pioneer Trek is one of the most memorable Church activities of their teenage years: three or four days pulling handcarts across the Wyoming high plains, often in pioneer clothes, organized into "families" with a Ma and Pa, retracing the trail where the Willie and Martin handcart companies nearly perished in the snows of 1856. Stakes plan trek most of a year ahead. This guide covers where they go, how the reservations and rules work, and what families pack.
The story behind the trail
Between the 1840s and the 1860s some 70,000 Latter-day Saint pioneers crossed the plains to Utah, and ten companies traveled by handcart. Two of them, the Willie and Martin companies, left late in 1856 and were caught by early winter storms in central Wyoming, where rescue wagons sent from Salt Lake City found them. The Church's trek sites mark where that happened: Sixth Crossing, where rescuers reached the Willie Company; Rocky Ridge, the brutal climb it made; and Martin's Cove, where the Martin Company sheltered. For how Utah remembers its pioneers, see Pioneer Day, Explained.
The Wyoming trek sites
- Martin's Cove, near Devil's Gate, about 366 miles and six and a half hours from Provo: a loop of about six and a half miles to the cove and back.
- Sixth Crossing, near the Sweetwater River, about the same drive time: a loop of about six and a half miles.
- Rocky Ridge: a loop of about ten miles over the ridge, reached by bus from Sixth Crossing.
- Multi-day routes: itineraries that combine the sites, including a two-day, 28-mile route from Sixth Crossing to Rock Creek Hollow.
Treks at Martin's Cove and Sixth Crossing include river crossings when water levels allow, stretches of trail suited to a young women's or young men's pull, and campground areas for square dancing, where groups bring their own music and caller.
Reserving a trek
The sites accept trek reservations in September for the following summer; requests for 2026 treks opened September 2, 2025, at 7 a.m. Mountain time. Leaders submit an online form with the approximate size of the group, a preferred itinerary and a backup, and three possible dates, and missionaries reply within a week. Availability runs from late May to mid-August, with some itineraries limited by group size.
The rules stakes plan around
- Handcarts: the site provides up to fifteen handcarts for every trek of 150 people, with six to ten people recommended per cart.
- Trail guides: two missionaries accompany each group and set the pace.
- Medical: each ward or stake must bring two licensed medical professionals for each trek, and groups at Martin's Cove and Sixth Crossing must have a medical vehicle for every trek of up to 150 people.
- Rocky Ridge: groups travel by bus, must provide a four-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicle and driver, and must take trail training the evening before, which adult leaders, including a Ma or Pa from each family, attend.
- The handbook: the trek chair and ecclesiastical leader sign the last page of the sites' handbook, Preparing to Trek at the Wyoming Mormon Trail Sites, and send it in.
- Leaving: groups walk through the campground with the host at checkout and leave it clean.
What to pack
Stakes send their own lists, often with pioneer-style clothing, but the essentials for a Wyoming trek in summer are the same:
- Broken-in boots. A trek is six to ten miles a day on dirt and sand.
- Water and sun protection. A refillable bottle, a wide-brimmed hat or bonnet, and sunscreen.
- Layers and rain gear. High-plains nights are cold, and storms blow in fast.
- Bedding for camp. A sleeping bag and pad, as the stake directs.
- Medications. Listed on the medical form for the trek's medical team.
Visiting on your own
Families and groups of fewer than 25 can walk the trail to Martin's Cove without a trek reservation, which makes it a possible stop on a Wyoming road trip. Plan on six and a half hours each way from Provo.
Practical notes
- Leaders, book in September. Requests open then for the next summer.
- Line up the medical team early. Two licensed professionals are required per trek.
- Break in the boots. Six to ten miles a day is hard on new ones.
- Families, you can visit. Small groups need no reservation.
Related Guides
- Girls Camp and Young Men Camp in Utah Valley
- FSY in Provo
- Teen Driving in Utah
- Pioneer Day, Explained
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do Utah Valley stakes go for Pioneer Trek?
When do trek reservations open?
How long are the trek trails?
What does the trek site provide?
Can a family visit Martin's Cove without a trek reservation?
How many handcarts does a trek site provide?
Do treks need medical staff?
How many pioneer companies traveled by handcart?
