The Sweetwater Valley formed the mid-section of the 2000 mile-long Oregon Trail, where west of Casper, Wyoming, branches of the trail merged into a single transportation corridor that paralleled the winding Sweetwater River and approached the base of South Pass. Beyond the pass lay Oregon Country, where routes separated toward Utah, California, and Oregon. Emigrants spent about a week crossing this high-altitude, semiarid desert stretch, and many found its alkali, sage, sand, and barrenness wearying, with one traveler lamenting the lack of timber and the sparse fringe of cottonwood and willow along creeks and rivers. Others found this part of the journey relatively agreeable in summer, when the river was low and clear, grass was available for stock, days were bright and mild, and the narrowing valley, quicker stream, and snowy summits of the Wind River Mountains offered striking scenery.