Pioneer Trek Prep: Pack Your Handcart and Play the Pioneer Trail Before You Go

Pioneer trek is one of the experiences youth remember for the rest of their lives. They wear bonnets and suspenders in the heat, pull handcarts up a hill that never seems to end, and gather around a fire at night to hear a pioneer's story. Good preparation makes it even more meaningful.

The Church describes the purpose plainly: a handcart trek reenactment "helps youth learn from the experiences of the pioneers who crossed the plains from 1856 to 1860. It provides opportunities for youth to strengthen testimonies, build unity, appreciate Church history, and learn core gospel principles."

This guide covers the history youth should know before trek and two free games that let them feel the choices pioneers faced: the Handcart Challenge and the Pioneer Trail.

The handcart pioneers in numbers

According to the Ensign, between 1856 and 1860, nearly 3,000 Latter-day Saints traveled by handcart from Iowa and Nebraska to the Salt Lake Valley, in 10 handcart companies.

• About 650 handcarts made the trip (Utah Division of State History), with roughly one supply wagon for every 20 handcarts.
• 17 pounds: adults were allowed only 17 pounds of baggage, mostly clothing and bedding. Children were allowed 10.
• The Willie and Martin companies started late in 1856 and were caught by early snow in Wyoming. Rescuers from the Salt Lake Valley reached the Willie Company on October 21 and the Martin Company on October 28 (Ensign).
• Most companies arrived safely. About 250 of the handcart pioneers died on the way, most of them in the Willie and Martin companies.

A good pre-trek discussion: what would you take if you could carry only 17 pounds?

Handcart Challenge: pack your 17 pounds

The Handcart Challenge starts exactly there. Choose from item cards such as a wool quilt (5 pounds), scriptures (2), an extra pair of shoes (3), a tin cup and spoon (1), letters from home (1), a fiddle (6) or a rocking chair (20). You can't start pulling until you've packed exactly 17 pounds.

The weights are game estimates, but the rule is real. The game quotes the 1856 Edmund Ellsworth Company record: "Each traveler was allowed only 17 pounds of luggage (clothing, bedding and utensils)."

Seven stops from Iowa City

Your company leaves Iowa City in June 1856. At each of seven stops, you'll make a choice, see the result on your Food, Strength and Faith meters, and read a short trail fact with a source.

At the first stop, the carts are done, and you have to decide how to start. Leave early to get ahead, check every wheel and axle, or set out with a song? A broken wheel on the plains could stop a whole family, so the careful choice matters.

Pioneer Trail: Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley

The Pioneer Trail follows the 1846–1847 exodus, earlier than the handcart companies. It has 10 stops from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley, including Winter Quarters, Chimney Rock, Fort Laramie, Independence Rock and South Pass. Your Food, Strength and Faith each start at 5.

The choices aren't always about speed. At Nauvoo, helping a widow load her wagon first costs you a little Food and Strength but adds 3 Faith: "You lose a little time but gain a friend for the whole trail." The trail fact says about 400 wagons carried roughly 2,000 Saints across the Mississippi in February 1846 (Church History Topics).

Arriving in the valley

When you reach the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, you'll see your score out of 30 and a message about how your company arrived. In our test run, we scored 24 of 30: "You arrived strong, fed and full of faith, and you helped others along the way."

Afterward, tap Try a different path to see how other choices play out. That makes a good discussion question: which choices helped your company most, and why?

How to use these before trek

1. At a youth night before trek, have each family group play the Handcart Challenge together and compare what they packed.
2. Talk about the 17 pounds. What did they leave behind? What would you never leave?
3. Assign a pioneer. Many stakes give each youth a pioneer name to study. FamilySearch can help youth find their own pioneer ancestors.
4. Play the Pioneer Trail at home with parents, then share stories from the family.
5. Read the leader guidelines. The Church's Handcart Trek Reenactments: Guidelines for Leaders covers purpose, safety and planning.

If your trek visits Wyoming, the Church operates three historic sites in central Wyoming: Martin's Cove, Sixth Crossing and Rock Creek Hollow. Every summer, thousands of youth and adults come there to remember the handcart pioneers.

Questions leaders ask

What ages are these games for?

They suit youth preparing for trek, and families with older children can play them together. Older children may need help reading the trail facts.

Do youth need an account?

No. Both games are free, with no login or app, and work on phones.

Are the trail facts accurate?

Each trail fact links to its source, such as Church History Topics, the Church History Database or the National Park Service. Item weights in the Handcart Challenge are game estimates. The 17-pound allowance is historical.

Is this affiliated with the Church?

No. These games are made by Weak Things. They are not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Keep reading

• Church History Games for Your Road Trip
• Doctrine and Covenants Games
• All Church history games