Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail

Learn about the National Historic Trails and earn junior ranger badges! These activities can be completed virtually or after visiting a site along the National Historic Trails. Booklets can be submitted either electronically or by mail. Take a look and start exploring the trails today!

Interested in the Trail of Tears at Cadron Settlement Park? Take a look at these interpretive exhibits and listen to their audio descriptions.

Wayside Exhibits for The Trail of Tears at Cave Spring Georgia

Beaver Dam, in the area known today as Cave Spring, was the site of the most prominent instance of active Cherokee resistance to unauthorized white settlement on Cherokee land.

Wayside exhibit "Powerful Plants" in the Cherokee Garden at the Green Meadows Preserve in Powder Springs, Georgia

Wayside exhibits for Trail of Tears at Columbus Belmont State Park, Kentucky.

The majority of Cherokee traveled overland on foot during their forced removal to Indian Territory, with some traveling on horses and in wagons. The detachments used a network of well-known, established roads that linked major towns and settlements. Learn more about early 19th century roads and turnpikes that were used on the Trail of Tears.

Before bridges were common, ferries played an important role in transportation as they provided conveyance over large streams and rivers. Ferry boats were most often flatboats with modifications such as sloping ramps attached to the front and back of the boat. These allowed the ferry to pull up to the bank to unload passengers and cargo directly onto the land.