You can drive the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area. That drive follows U.S. Highway 89, All-American Road State Route 12, and Scenic Byway State Route 24 through the towns Mormon pioneers settled in central and southern Utah.
That is not the same as driving the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail. The historic trail is a National Park Service route from the Iowa and Nebraska winter camps to the Salt Lake Valley. It is not one continuous modern highway, and it is not our auto tour.
How to drive the Heritage Area
Start with the Travel Planner map and printed guide. Suggested routes are on Tours, including the Highway 89 road trip. Those pages point to historic sites, museums, and the five districts.
What is the difference?
The Heritage Area drive is a modern visit through Utah settlement country. The Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail marks the 1846–1847 overland route from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Salt Lake Valley. You can visit some preserved segments and interpretive sites. The full historic trail is not a single road you can follow bumper to bumper. More on that is on Mormon Pioneer Trail.
Why did they come west?
They were forced out of Nauvoo. They followed a route others used for farmland and California gold, but they were not just looking for land.
The pioneer trail of Latter-day Saints follows a similar route to others crossing North America in search of fertile soil and gold in California. But those who fled Nauvoo in 1846 were not just seeking land. They were religious refugees determined to stay on a covenant path.
That line is on the Church’s Pioneer Trail page. The visit questions are on the FAQ, Districts, and Visitor Info.