LOCATION: Parley Street West of the Seventies Hall
HOURS: Always Open
All Sites, Tours, Shows, and Rides at Historic Nauvoo are FREE!
The Trail of Hope is a moving experience year round
In the concluding dedicatory session of the Nauvoo Temple, President Hinckley of the LDS Church, made a special request of all those who were then in Nauvoo. He asked everyone to take a few minutes to “walk down Parley Street to the waterfront,” to the landing on the Mississippi River from which the early Mormons departed Nauvoo and crossed into Iowa on their westward trek. He asked people to leave behind the comfort of their air-conditioned cars, to walk along this historic path and take time to read the plaques along the Trail of Hope.
Thirty markers contain quotes from journals and letters of early pioneers as they got ready to begin the great trek to the Rocky Mountains. Click here to read the quotes on the markers (PDF).
At the edge of the river stands the Pioneer Memorial and “Exodus to Greatness” Monument. The Pioneer Memorial contains the names of many of those who died along the Mormon Trail and surrounds the “Exodus to Greatness” Monument, a stone mounted bronze frieze of the Mormon Trail.
Share your experiences!
My family visited Nauvoo for the first time in 2002 for the temple dedication and a family reunion. I loved the spirit that could be felt there as I walked the streets that my ancestors walked and where the Saints built their beautiful city that they then had to tragically leave. I am looking forward to the opportunity to vist again this summer and to share with two of my aunts the wonderful history there in Nauvoo as I once again get the opportunity to walk where saints have trod and feel of the peace and love that can still be felt there.