In the early 1800s, thousands of men, mules, and horses traveled a well-travelled route that paralleled Fish Lake along the Fish Lake Cut-off of the Old Spanish Trail, a 72-mile shortcut that skirted the western shores of Wahsatch Lake and reached elevations near 9,000 feet as it crossed mountain valleys with abundant fish, grass, water, and cool summer temperatures before rejoining the main trail near Kingston, Utah. The Old Spanish Trail was a 1,200-mile pack trail linking Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Pueblo de Los Angeles in the Mexican Territory of California, and between 1829 and 1848 traders used it to carry New Mexican woolen goods such as rugs, blankets, and serapes in exchange for California mules and horses.