Attractions
Annual Re-Ride of the Pony Express Trail
Harrah’s Lake Tahoe
15 Hwy 50, Stateline, Nevada 89449June 24
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
January 15 @ 12:53 am
The National Pony Express Association will be conducting its Annual Re-Ride of the Pony Express Trail from St. Joseph Missouri, to Sacramento, California, June 15 – 25, 2025.
The Annual Re-Ride of the historic Pony Express mail service will be conducted from June 15 – 25, 2026, by the National Pony Express Association (NPEA). The event, celebrating the 166th year anniversary of “the Pony”, will start in St. Joseph, MO and end in Sacramento, CA, traveling east to west this year.
The Pony Rides Again
A lone rider gallops across a landscape of prairie grass and sagebrush and mountain terrain. The sound of approaching hoofbeats is heard from afar. Another rider and horse awaits in the shade of a tree. The incoming rider reins in and greetings are exchanged. Dismounting, the incoming courier lifts a leather mochila from the saddle. It is placed on the new horse and the fresh rider steps into the stirrup, swings into the saddle and begins a ride over the horizon and back into history
Each June, members of the National Pony Express Association recreate the Pony Express in a Commemorative Re-Ride over a 10 days period. Letters are carried in a mochila over the original trail. The 1,966 mile, eight state event is conducted 24 hours a day until the mail is delivered to its destination. This national event is an opportunity for all young and old to ride the Pony Trail and to receive mail via the Pony Express!
Over 750 riders participate and around 1,000 letters are mailed each year. Riders come from all walks of life, but are all members of NPEA. We invite you to join us in this exciting event!
Annual Re-Ride Schedule
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. 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.
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.
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.
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