Ash Hollow Spring Historic Water Source

This historic spring bubbles up from limestone bedrock in a shaded cottonwood grove, the same water source that sustained thousands of Oregon Trail emigrants. The spring produces roughly 100 gallons per minute of clear, cold water year-round. A simple stone-lined pool catches the flow, and while the water isn’t officially tested for drinking, many overlanders still fill bottles here as their predecessors did 170 years ago.

Access is via a short walk from the visitor center parking area at Ash Hollow Fossil Trail. The spring sits about 200 yards down a gentle slope through native grass and trees. Best visited during cooler parts of the day when the grove provides welcome shade from the prairie sun.

Historic Oregon Trail spring still flowing clear and cold