Definition:
The California Trail was a trail used by settlers coming westward across North America. As the name implies, it ended in California, near the present day city of Sacramento.
The California Trail followed the same route as the Oregon Trail, heading westward from Independence, Missouri. However, the trails diverged along the Snake River in present day Idaho.
After splitting from the Oregon Trail, the California Trail followed the Humboldt River and then crossed the Sierra range of mountains.
The California Trail was first walked in 1844 the first group of wagons to follow the trail reached California. In the late 1840s the trail began to be heavily used.
