Pilot Butte was part of the overland routes used by 400,000 emigrants who left their homes seeking wealth, religious freedom, land of their own, and a new life in the West. Along these trails, they found hardship and suffering. At the bottom of the path are the actual trail ruts of the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express National Historic Trails. The surrounding area remains largely unchanged from the days of the overland emigrants, evoking what it was like to walk, ride a horse, or drive a wagon halfway across America far from home.