The Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area is the only National Heritage Area designated and named for a specific people, the Mormon Pioneers – as they forged to the west. Their remarkable story of dedication, fortitude, and extraordinary efforts offers one of the best features of the Mormon colonization experience in the United States. The Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area has been identified by Congress as a factor in the expansion of the United States and contributing to the United States.

black and white photo of butch cassidy and gang — Butch Cassidy and Gang

The unique landscape features a geological wonderland that has been the backdrop for feature films including; “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid,” and “Jeremiah Johnson.” While traveling through the picturesque scenery, you might recognize a scene or two. Included in the heritage area is the birthplace of Utah outlaws, Butch Cassidy and Matt Warner. Matt was a lifelong friend and a gang member alongside of Butch. Many movies were filmed in the scenic Under the Rim District of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area.

In the later part of the 1800s the Mormon pioneers began their great relocation to the west. They trekked 1,400 miles from Illinois to the Great Salt Lake. This mass-Exodus brought about colonization in Utah, Nevada, the southwest corner of Wyoming, the southeast corner of Idaho, southeast Oregon, and a large portion of southern and eastern California.

log cabin with Mormon Pioneer Family Echo City Utah — Family Portrait of Mormon Pioneers in Echo City, Utah

Their role comes alive as you travel through the communities they built, giving you a picturesque glimpse into the Mormons’ role in the old west, and a sense of life in the mid 1800s. You will be awed by the area specific architecture found in the heritage area. It was largely influenced by the vast number of European immigrants that came to Utah in the 1800s. The colonization of central and southern Utah brought many talented stonemasons to the area to quarry the unique natural resources of the Oolitic limestone exclusively found in Sanpete County which is located in the Little Denmark District.

Heritage Self Driving Tour Route

You can adjust this tour in length from 1 to 5 days. Whether you begin your tour from the north and journey south or travel from the east to the west, you will find many treasures along the way as you explore the historic Highway 89 corridor of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area.

Utah Heritage Highway 89 Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area