Attractions
Annual Re-Ride of the Pony Express Trail
June 12
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
June 12 @ 9:14 pm
The National Pony Express Association will be conducting its Annual Re-Ride of the Pony Express Trail from Sacramento, California, to St. Joseph Missouri, June 11 – 21, 2025.
The Annual Re-Ride of the historic Pony Express mail service will be conducted from June 11 – 21, 2025, by the National Pony Express Association (NPEA). The event, celebrating the 165th year anniversary of “the Pony”, will start in Sacramento, CA and end in St. Joseph, MO, traveling west to east this year.
Personal letters and Commemorative letters will be carried in a mochila (a leather square that is placed over the saddle, with four locked cantinas to hold the mail) by horse and rider relays from the Sacramento River to the Missouri River. The first rider will depart Old Sacramento, California on Wednesday, June 11, at 2:00 PM PDT, and the last rider is scheduled to arrive at the Patee House in St. Joseph, Missouri, on Saturday, June 21, at 7:30 PM CDT.
The route will follow the Pony Express National Historic Trail, a component of the National Trails System. The mail will travel 1966 miles across California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas, to Missouri.
Approximately 600 member riders from NPEA’s eight State Divisions will ride relay-style, 24 hours a day, until the mochila is delivered in St. Joseph, Missouri. Each rider will take the Pony Express Oath prior to riding with the mochila, just as the riders did in 1860.
History: The annual Re-Ride is a 10-day, 24 hours-a-day event honoring the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. The Company carried letters and telegrams from April 1860, to November 1861, between St. Joseph and Sacramento, proving the Central Route through Salt Lake City was passable year round. Their intent was to win a federal mail contract, which, unfortunately, never materialized.
Riders Wanted: Are you interested in participating in the annual Re-Ride? Get your mount legged up to ride a leg in the annual Re-Ride. Reach out to a State President near you and find out about riding in this year’s Re-Ride. Several states have ride sections available; come experience the thrill of being a Pony Express rider! State Officer Directory: Https://nationalponyexpress.org/about/national-directory/
Send A Letter: The Commemorative letters carried this year will be a vignette of Pony Express history in Nevada. The letters can be purchased by the public for the 1860 price of $5 each. Personal letters are also available for $10 each. All letters will be carried on horseback from Sacramento, California to St. Joseph, Missouri. They will be stamped as having been officially carried by Pony Express and then delivered via USPS. The letter application form can be obtained by downloading it from the NPEA website at https://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/send-a-letter/.
Re-Ride: During the Re-Ride, updates and information about the progress across the Pony Express trail can be found at https://www.facebook.com/expressrider/. A GPS Device will be carried in the mochila, that transmits real-time location of the mail. The National Parks Service (NPS) will have an interactive map to follow the transmissions at https://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/follow-the-ride/. Status updates will also be posted on the website and photos & videos on the NPEA Facebook page.
2025 Schedule: The National Pony Express Re-Ride schedule is available on NPEA’s website https://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/current-reride/ with links to detailed state schedules.
California Route Highlights:
● Old Town Sacramento – Official Departure Pony Express Plaza (2nd & J Streets)
Wednesday, June 11 |Ceremony starts at 1:15 PM, First rider departs at 2:00 PM PDT
Join the National Pony Express Association, local officials, reenactors, and the public for a send-off celebrating the courage and grit of the original riders. Following a ceremony, the first rider will depart with the mochila, kicking off the 2025 Re-Ride.
● Folsom History Museum–823 Sutter Street, Folsom, CA
Wednesday, June 11 | Approx. 6:29 PM PDT
The Re-Ride gallops into Gold Rush country with a spirited mochila exchange on Sutter Street. The Folsom History Museum will host activities for all ages, historical exhibits, and a chance to meet the modern-day riders.
● El Dorado “Y”
Highway 50 at Pony Express Trail
Wednesday, June 11 | Approx. 9:53 PM PDT
Spectators can witness a classic Pony Express-style handoff at this iconic Sierra junction. Riders swiftly change horses in a blur of leather and dust, just as their 19th-century predecessors did on the journey east.
● Celio Ranch – 2820 South Upper Truckee Road, South Lake Tahoe, CA
Thursday, June 12 | Approx. 10:42 AM
One of the oldest working ranches in the region, Celio Ranch has deep ties to pioneer and Pony Express history. Riders will pass through the ranch as part of their journey over Echo Summit. Though primarily a working stop, the site underscores the rugged conditions and determination of original Express riders.
● Woodfords, CA – California Handoff to Nevada Division
Thursday, June 12 | Approx. 1:00 PM
At the historic Woodfords Station, the California Division will ceremonially pass the mochila to the Nevada Division, marking a key milestone on the trail. This scenic, high-elevation location is a Pony Express station eastbound in California and remains a cherished site along the route. The public is encouraged to attend, meet the riders, and take in interpretive displays about the station’s history and significance.
E-mail: nationalponyexpressmedia@gmail.com
Media Kit: https://nationalponyexpress.org/news/media-press/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/expressrider/
Stories and status updates are also added to our Reports from the Trail.
It is the longest event held annually on a historical trail in the nation. The event commemorates the 1860-1861 Central Overland and California Pikes Peak Express Company which carried letters and telegrams for 19 months to prove the Central Route through Salt Lake passable year round. The owners hoped to win a federal mail contract on that route.
Pony Express history is preserved in the federally designated Historic Trail, administered by the National Park Service, in museums, Pony Rider monuments, books, and the annual recreations by the NPEA.
Every year Ham Radio plays a very important part of the Re-Ride by providing communications over parts of the trail where communication by other means is not available. This gives those personnel responsible for that part of the Re-Ride information as to where the rider is and if the mail is on time. Communications between Riders and Ride Captains will be provided by amateur radio operators in the states of California, Nevada, Utah, eastern Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansas.
While the re-ride will not be going through South Lake Tahoe, the public is invited to watch the mochila exchange at the Celio Ranch in Meyers on Thursday, June 12. In even-numbered years, the ride starts in Missouri and ends up coming down Kingsbury Grade and through South Lake Tahoe on its way to Sacramento. In odd-numbered years like this year, the ride starts in Sacramento, heads to Echo Summit, and drops down into Christmas Valley before heading out to Hope Valley and to Genoa.
The Celio family is opening up their ranch for the event, where the public can meet the riders, take photos, and learn more about the Pony Express. The rider is expected at the ranch at 10:42 a.m. Thursday. Their exchange location can be tracked, and the time is approximate.
Follow the ride live via GPS tracking at https://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/follow-the-ride/. For more information on the re-ride, visit https://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/.
Note: Anyone wishing to see the Pony Express riders should be aware that they may be anywhere from two hours ahead to two hours behind schedule.
Today, part of the Pony Express Trail route is a multi-use trail located near Sierra-at-Tahoe. There are a few relay stations in South Lake Tahoe. One at Friday’s Station, just east of Harrah’s casino where the statue is today, and two others out in Meyers by Holiday Market and the Hawley Grade Trail. Another station is located at Woodfords near Markleeville.
Ranked among the most remarkable feats to come out of the 1860 American West, the Pony Express was in service from April 1860 to November 1861. Its primary mission was to deliver mail and news between St. Joseph, Missouri, and San Francisco, California.
NPEA National Convention 2025 will be held in Elko, NV. Sept 5 & 6. The convention is open to all to attend. Registration form is on our website https://nationalponyexpress.org/npea…/upcoming-convention/
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