Mount Saratoga Stake

Pioneer Trek 2026

Martin's Cove & Sixth Crossing

July 13–16, 2026

Late Registration

Equipment Drop-Off

We load equipment the night before Trek. Any youth who cannot deliver their sleeping gear at their scheduled time must get it to their Ma & Pa before Sunday night.

When: Sunday Evening, July 12

Location: New Stake Center — 909 N Highpass Dr, Saratoga Springs

Everyone — Before Your Loading Time

  • Make sure your packed garbage bag is labeled with your name, your Ma & Pa, and your ward.
  • Optional: Want your pillow for the bus ride? Don't pack it in your garbage bag — bring it with you Monday morning instead.
  • Do NOT bring your bucket of packed items or your water bottle at this time. Bring those, along with your drawstring backpack, the next morning.

Ma & Pa — Arrive 15 Minutes Early

  • Arrive 15 minutes before your company's loading time to pick up your family's material strips and journals.
  • Meet your youth with these items before they load their sleeping gear into the trailers.
  • Bring extra duct tape and markers in case your youth need help labeling their garbage bags.

Company Loading Schedule

Company Families Loading Time Ma & Pa Meet
Red Company Rasmussen, Andersen, Stone, Skinner 5:00 PM 4:45 PM
Orange Company Barnwell, Schramm, Rice, Spencer 5:15 PM 5:00 PM
Yellow Company Peralta, Bautista, Graham 5:30 PM 5:15 PM
Green Company Burgoyne, Ditto, Woodbury 5:45 PM 5:30 PM
Blue Company Wolford, Hanson, Petersen, Rivera 6:00 PM 5:45 PM
Purple Company Jacobson, Bucker, Whited 6:15 PM 6:00 PM
View the Packing List

Monday Morning Information

Don't Forget to Bring

Your bucket, your pillow (if you have one), and a filled water bottle — plus a sack lunch for the ride out.

  1. 7:00 AM Start arriving at the Stake Center

  2. Note: Buses will arrive at 7:30 AM. Bus loading should begin promptly upon their arrival.

  3. Ma & Pa
    • Meet your family in the parking lot by your bus (look for the company color in the window by the bus door).
    • Hand each youth two family material strips — one for their bucket and one for their drawstring backpack. Make sure they securely tie one on each.
    • Assist the equipment committee in loading them under the bus before heading into the chapel.
    • If any of your kids are not present by 7:15 AM, start contacting them.
    • Head into the chapel/cultural hall with your family for the prayer, announcements, and spiritual thought at 7:15 AM.
    • Board your company's bus with your family by 7:50 AM.
    Bus Captains
    • Take roll call once families board the bus. If all your company's families are loaded, go ahead and depart.
    All Committees & Leaders
    • Feel free to depart once your work at the Stake Center is done. You're welcome to drive ahead of the buses or stay near them for lunch — it's up to you and your duties/needs.
    Trail Boss & Medical Team
    • The Trail Boss and at least one vehicle from the Medical Team should caravan along with the buses in case any issues arise.
  4. 8:00–8:30 AM Depart from the Stake Center

Trek Day-by-Day

Tuesday July 14

Trek Sixth Crossing

Wednesday July 15

Trek Martin's Cove

Thursday July 16

Rock Creek Hollow Cemetery, then travel home — expected arrival back at the Stake Center around 4:00 PM.

Trek at a Glance

Dates

July 13–16, 2026

Four days • Three nights

Locations

Martin's Cove

Sixth Crossing

Wyoming

Who

ALL YOUTH

Turning 14 in 2026 through Graduating Seniors

Theme

Conoce a Jesucristo: Our Ultimate Rescuer

As your youth walks the same sacred ground where faithful pioneers endured unimaginable hardship, our prayer is that they will come to know Jesus Christ in a deeper, more personal way. He is the One who rescues us in our greatest moments of need, just as He rescued those faithful saints in 1856.

Pioneer Trek participants at a sacred Wyoming landmark

Upcoming Activities

Learn to Square Dance • Wednesday, July 8 • 7:00 PM • Sunrise Meadows Building

Pioneer Trek activity

Purposes of Handcart Trek Reenactments

From 1856 to 1860, about 3,000 Latter-day Saints pulled handcarts across the American plains to gather in the Salt Lake Valley. These pioneers trekked more than a thousand miles through heat and cold; through mud, sand, and sometimes snow; and through rivers and over mountains. They faced trials that required great faith and perseverance.

Reenacting a trek can provide a powerful opportunity to strengthen testimonies, build unity, do family history, and learn core gospel principles. Treks can also help youth learn about who they are and what they may become.

Martin's Cove

Nestled along the Sweetwater River in central Wyoming, Martin's Cove is the site where members of the Martin Handcart Company sheltered from an early winter storm in 1856. Hundreds of pioneers endured extreme cold and exhaustion here, and their faith and perseverance left a permanent mark on Church history. Today the area is a sacred site visited by thousands each year.

Sixth Crossing

Sixth Crossing marks the point where pioneer handcart companies forded the Sweetwater River for the sixth time on their journey to the Salt Lake Valley. Young men who witnessed the suffering at this crossing reportedly said they would never forget pulling the wagons through the icy water to help the freezing saints — an act of selfless service still commemorated today.

"We came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives, for we became acquainted with him in our extremities."

— Survivor of the Martin Handcart Company, 1856
Pioneer Trek scene at Martin's Cove, Wyoming

Highlights from our Trek in 2022

Watch highlights from our 2022 Pioneer Trek experience.

Calendar of Events

  1. Trek Kickoff Activity

  2. Bucket and Flag Activity

  3. Trek Family Activity

  4. Squaredancing Activity

  5. Pioneer Trek

Get Prepared

Download the resources below to help you prepare for an amazing trek experience.

Packing List

Everything you need to bring for a safe and comfortable trek. Don't leave home without it!

View Packing List

Clothing Ideas

Pioneer-style clothing patterns and ideas to help you dress authentically for the trek experience.

View Clothing Guide

Food & Dietary Needs

Trek promises to be an incredible opportunity for our youth this year, and we are eagerly anticipating the chance to be on trek with the youth. Our food committee is dedicated to ensuring that everyone is well-fed and safe.

Our food committee chairs, Bro and Sister Sullivan manage multiple dietary concerns in their family, including Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. They understand the importance of accommodating specific dietary needs. If you have youth with special dietary considerations, they would love to work with you and help your youth feel seen and cared for. To help us prepare, please fill out the registration form to let us know if you have any dietary requirements or medical conditions, such as:

  • Gluten concerns
  • Dairy intolerance
  • Food allergies
  • Any other dietary needs

Ready to Trek?

Register for Pioneer Trek 2026!

Complete the registration form along with your medical release form.

Late Registration

You will be redirected to a secure Google Form.

Pioneer Trek participants pulling handcarts