The Pony Express rides again: 1,966 miles of mail every June

The start of the 2023 Re-Ride in Old Town Sacramento. NPS photo.

For ten days every June, the Pony Express runs again. Members of the National Pony Express Association carry real letters in a leather mochila over the original trail between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California — 1,966 miles through eight states, day and night, rider handing off to rider, until the mail is delivered.

The ride

At each exchange the incoming rider reins in, lifts the mochila off the saddle and throws it over a fresh horse; the next rider mounts and is gone over the horizon — as it was done in 1860 and 1861.

Handing over the mochila. NPS photo.

How to follow it

• In person. The ride passes scheduled exchange points along the trail; the Park Service publishes the schedule and best places to see the riders.
• Online. A GPS unit in the mochila reports every five minutes to a live map.
• By phone. The association's hotline, 1-855-809-8589, is updated as reports come in from riders, support crews and ham-radio operators.
• Send a letter. Mail carried on the ride can be ordered through the National Pony Express Association, which also takes new members.

Places along the trail with events for the Re-Ride. NPS.

The trail

The route is the Pony Express National Historic Trail, part of the National Trails System, which the Park Service administers with partners across the West.

Sources

Written from "The Pony Express Re-Ride", National Park Service, Pony Express National Historic Trail, a work of the United States government in the public domain.