Fort Bridger State Historic Site (Blog Hike #876)

Trail: (unnamed) 
Hike Location: Fort Bridger State Historic Site
Geographic Location: west side of Fort Bridger, WY (41.31828, -110.38935)
Length: 0.75 miles
Difficulty: 0/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: July 2021
Overview: A short, flat semiloop through the remnants of an 1800's fort.
Site Information: https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/places-to-go/fort-bridger
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=881527
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: In southwest Wyoming, take I-80 to Business Loop 80 (exit 34).  Exit and go east on Business Loop 80.  The entrance to Fort Bridger State Historic Site is 2 miles ahead on the right.  Park in the large parking lot just inside the entrance.

The hike: It was the fall of 1824 when James Felix Bridger first explored the Great Salt Lake region and the area we know today as Yellowstone National Park.  For the next 20 years Bridger would explore, trap, hunt, and blaze trails all over the American west, and he became known as an expert guide for American settlers who were moving west.  In 1843, Bridger established a trading post with light fortifications and a blacksmith shop along the Black Fork of the Green River on one of the main east-west routes through the region.  That trading post became known as Fort Bridger, and over the past 150 years every major route through the region including the Mormon Pioneer Trail, the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, the Pony Express, the Union Pacific Railroad, the Lincoln Highway, and even I-80 have passed through or near this post.

            In 1858, Fort Bridger became an official United States Army outpost to supply troops for the Utah War, and for the next three decades it continued to support federal operations in the region.  The fort was abandoned in 1890 when Wyoming became a state, and in 1928 the site was sold to the Historical Landmark Commission of Wyoming.  The site opened as a Wyoming Historical Landmark and Museum in 1933.

            Today the site's 27 historic structures, 4 historic replica structures, and 6 modern structures are preserved as Fort Bridger State Historic Site.  A statue of Jim Bridger greets visitors as they drive in the entrance, and volunteers provide costumed interpretation during the summer months.  The short hike described here takes you to every point of interest at the 37-acre site, and it provides a nice leg-stretch excursion with an historical flavor while driving I-80 across Wyoming.

Carter's Warehouse and Pony Express Barn

            After paying your entrance fee in the Post Trader's Store, walk north into a square of historic buildings with white sides that features Carter's Warehouse and the Pony Express Barn.  Interpretive signs tell about these buildings.  The Pony Express Monument and the Grave of Thornburgh the Dog are also in this area.  After touring these buildings, walk back out to the main road and turn right to head west toward the old fort area.

Main road into the fort

            You pass several sites of former structures before reaching the 1887 Guard House and Sentry Box.  Fort Bridger saw several iterations and renovations, and the structures in this part of the site date to the most recent and final iteration.  Continue following the main road to its end at the Fort Bridger Museum and 1880's Barracks, the largest building on this site.  You can tour the museum if it is open, which it was not on my visit.

1880's Barracks

            We will eventually continue on the main loop to the left (south) of the museum, but first take a detour on a narrower trail that heads right.  The trail passes some older infantry barracks before curving left to cross a drainage and reach a replica of the original Fort Bridger.  The wooden replica sits in a small grassy area surrounded by cottonwood and aspen trees.  The side trail ends at this small wooden structure, so next you have to turn around and walk back to the main loop.

Reconstructed Jim Bridger's Fort

            The main loop heads down the south side of the former military parade grounds before crossing Groshon Creek on a footbridge and reaching two 1880's era houses.  The first house you see was the Commanding Officer's house, while the second is a ranch house built to house fort visitors.  The final leg of the hike heads north along a boardwalk with the site's sundial and reconstructed bandstand on the left.

Commanding Officer's House

Lincoln Highway cabins

            After passing the 1858 Officer's Quarters, you close the loop.  Turn right to head back to the parking area.  Before you leave, there is one more interesting place at this site you should visit.  Just east of the parking lot (in the opposite direction from the fort) stands some cabins that provided lodging for travelers along the Lincoln Highway.  These cabins were built in 1929, and the ongoing restoration project gives you an idea of what travel through this region was like nearly 100 years ago.