Armchair PuzzlesCalm, large-print word searches
Explorers & Pioneers
Mind & Trivia · Classic

The Oregon Trail

Print
U
E
H
N
E
A
D
N
G
V
A
R
E
V
I
R
E
N
C
H
O
E
I
S
O
E
I
R
R
T
M
I
R
F
T
S
N
M
R
Y
R
N
I
N
S
E
I
O
E
N
N
S
A
O
S
A
G
X
N
E
A
C
R
E
L
T
T
E
S
L
L
C
P
C
O
T
T
N
T
P
B
O
N
N
E
T
Y
A
F
D
E
S
W
S
X
N
T
R
U
I

Use the arrow keys to move between letters. Press Enter or Space on the first letter of a word, then again on the last letter. Press Escape to cancel.

A few of the words

OXEN
A typical wagon family relied on four to six oxen to pull a loaded Conestoga. Oxen outlasted horses on the trail, they could graze on prairie grass and proved far more sure-footed in deep river mud.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
PRAIRIE
The great central grasslands stretched for over a thousand miles before emigrants reached the Rockies. Travelers described the prairie as a rolling green sea in spring, and a cracked, dusty plain by midsummer.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
FORD
Fording a river, driving wagons straight through the current, was one of the most dangerous moments of the journey. Experienced scouts would wade ahead to check the depth and feel for hidden sinkholes beneath the surface.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
BONNET
The sunbonnet was practical trail wear: its deep brim shielded a woman's face from the relentless prairie sun and blowing dust during weeks of open-sky travel.Find this word in the grid to read its note.

armchairpuzzles.com · free large-print word searches

Oregon Trail word search

The Oregon Trail: a free large-print word search

Oregon Trail word search, free and large-print. Walk the 2,000-mile rut road: dusty prairie, river crossings, and the quiet courage of families heading west.

About The Oregon Trail

From the 1840s through the 1860s, hundreds of thousands of emigrants loaded their lives into canvas-topped wagons and set out from Missouri toward the Willamette Valley, a journey of roughly 2,000 miles across open grassland, desert, and mountain pass. Oxen were the workhorses of the trail; steadier and cheaper than horses, they hauled heavily loaded wagons through mud, sand, and river shallows for months at a stretch. Each evening, families circled their wagons on the open prairie, lit campfires against the dark, and shared news of what lay ahead, a crossing swollen with spring melt, a meadow thick with bison, or the first blue outline of the distant mountains.

How to play

  1. 1
    Find a word.Tap its first letter, then tap along to its last. The trail fills in and finishes itself when it spells a word. Or press the first letter and drag.
  2. 2
    Words run in straight lines.Across and down, and on the harder difficulties diagonally and backwards.
  3. 3
    It marks itself.Each word you find takes on its own soft colour on the grid and is crossed off the list.
  4. 4
    Choose a difficulty.Relaxed, Classic or Challenging set those directions and how much the word list helps, never the grid size. Tap the A buttons at the top to enlarge the letters, or pinch the grid.
The printable The Oregon Trail word search sheet in large print

Prefer pen and paper?

A clean, large-print sheet. Free, and no sign-up.

Print this puzzlePrinting tips →
Add this puzzle to your website

Run a blog, a newsletter site, a library page, or a community group? Paste this to put the puzzle right on your page. Free to use, and it links back here.

How embedding works

More word searches in Explorers & Pioneers

Christopher Columbus

Three ships, an ocean crossing, and the cry of land.

Play

Lewis & Clark

Journey to the Pacific, keelboat, mountains, and the western sea.

Play

Marco Polo

Silk Road spices, distant Cathay, and the greatest traveler's tale.

Play
See all in Explorers & Pioneers →

More to explore:All Mind & Trivia word searchesPrintable Mind & Trivia word searches

↑ Back to the puzzle