Hello and welcome to episode 15 of the Ready Set Depart Podcast! We are so glad you’re here.

What do a golden spike, a couple of steam trains, and a long desert road have in common? Turns out, quite a bit if you’re heading to one of America’s lesser-known gems—Golden Spike National Historical Park.

If you’re not a National Park nerd like I am, you might have not even heard about the Park near Promontory Point in Northern Utah. I grew up about 2 hours from the Park and didn’t go until just a couple of years ago. Sure, we learned about the golden spike in school. I drove past the signs every time I went to Logan, Utah, but we never stopped.

In my effort to not miss the cool things in my own backyard, I loaded up my family, my parents, and Brent’s mom and we took the trek out to the National Historical Park. 

Let me paint you a picture. 

It’s July - hot in Utah. 

We get in the car and drive north past Layton and Ogden. 

We finally see the signs for the turn off and happily head off the freeway.

At first, the desert stretches ahead of us and we are excited to see this new National Historical Park.

And then we keep driving. 

And driving.

And everyone in the car starts looking at me and wondering what I got them into.

And then we drive some more.

And finally the sign for the Golden Spike National Historical Park appears. 

And everyone, especially me, gives a sigh of relief that there really is something to see out here.

So, what is the Golden Spike National Historical Park?

In the 1800’s, the fastest way to get from one point to another was the railroad. But there wasn’t a railroad line that connected California to the rest of the country. So two railroad giants - The Central Pacific and the Union Pacific - decided it was high time to change that. So the Central Pacific Railroad started building a track from Sacramento, California and the Union Pacific started building a track from Omaha, Nebraska. It took them 6 years to lay 1,776 miles of track to connect the East to the West.

They did finally meet at Promontory Point, Utah or close to it, in 1869. (Though when you’re going there, do not use Promontory Point as your destination for your GPS. Use Golden Spike. Using Promontory Point will take you about 1 hour out of your way.)

And here’s something important that often gets left out when we talk about the Transcontinental Railroad - who actually built it.

The labor was incredibly hard, dangerous, and often ignored. On the Central Pacific side, much of the work was done by Chinese immigrants who laid track through the Sierra Nevada mountains, blasting tunnels through solid rock and dealing with brutal winters. On the Union Pacific side, a large number of Irish immigrants and Civil War veterans worked long days laying track across the plains.

They were paid little, worked in harsh conditions, and their contributions weren’t really acknowledged for a long time. But without them, the railroad never would have been finished. It’s important to remember that this big moment in history was made possible by everyday people doing extraordinary work.

And then on May 10, 1869, the president of the Central Pacific Railroad nailed the final spike into the very first Transcontinental Railroad. The spike was gold, hence the name, Golden Spike, though that’s not the one you see today.

Why would you want to go to Golden Spike?

Well, it’s a National Park and if you’re trying to check off all National Parks, then that’s a great reason. (Wait, is that just me?)

But it’s an amazing part of history that is sometimes overlooked. In the Visitor’s Center, there’s a video that you can watch that we really enjoyed. But one part struck me. They said that the coming together of the Transcontinental Railroad was the end of the Wild West. It basically tamed the West. That almost made me sad. True, the Wild West was a dangerous place, but to be brought down by a golden spike…crazy.

So, you’ve decided to go to Golden Spike, what are you going to see when you get there?

The first thing you’ll see is the Visitor Center that’s home to the video I mentioned earlier (totally worth it), a cute little gift shop, and some pretty great air conditioning. And flushy toilets. I love flushy toilets.

You can learn a lot about what Golden Spike is and why it’s a National Historical Park - that’s only been since 2019 by the way. Before that, it was a National Historic Site since 1957. 

Once you’ve done a little shopping and soaked up the air conditioning, you can go out and watch two replica working steam engines reenact the meet again like they did so long ago. The Jupiter and No. 119 engines are pretty cool to see, and especially cool if you have a train enthusiast in your group, which I do with Brent.

Remember that the reenactments only happen May to early October, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t go in the winter. The steam engines go through maintenance in the winter months, but you can go behind the scenes to see them. But remember, winter can be snowing and icy even in the high desert, so plan ahead!

And don’t forget to get your Passport Book Stamped! And do the Junior Ranger. Even if your kids are too little or too old! You learn some really interesting things! It’s by far our favorite thing that the National Park System does.

You can also go hiking while you’re at Golden Spike, but we didn’t because midday in July is not the time to hike but you can walk the Big Fill Loop Trail that’s 1-½ miles round trip. You follow the Central Pacific grade (which is the road basically that the train runs on) and return on the Union Pacific grade. All of which was done with simple tools, sweat and endurance!

And any time of year, you can stargaze at the Park. It really is in the middle of nowhere so I can just imagine how beautiful it is at night!

But here are a couple of notes for safety.

The closest hospital is 35 miles away in Brigham City, Utah, and the response times are 45 minutes or longer. 

There is limited cell coverage so be aware of that.

It can get very hot and windy in the summer months and very cold in the winter months so be prepared by checking the local weather before going out.

Before we go, let’s review why you might want to add Golden Spike National Historical Park to your next trip through Northern Utah.

• It’s where the first Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869—a turning point in U.S. history

• The site is remote but beautiful, with wide-open views and a real sense of history

• The Visitor Center has a short, well-done video that explains the history in an engaging way

• You can watch real steam engines reenact the moment the tracks came together (May–October)

• It’s great for train enthusiasts, history buffs, and National Park Passport stamp collectors

• There’s an easy 1.5-mile hike along the original rail grades (Big Fill Loop Trail)

• Stargazing is excellent thanks to its remote location and dark skies

• Clean restrooms, air conditioning, and a gift shop make it a comfortable stop

• Junior Ranger programs are available (and fun for all ages!)

• You can end the day with a peach milkshake at Peach City in Brigham City which is totally worth it!

Want to make it a full day of fun, check out some of these nearby attractions while you’re at it. 

Spiral Jetty is a famous earth sculpture in the Great Salt Lake. I hear it looks amazing at dawn or dusk. You can find it about ½ hour south of the Park.

The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is about 30 minutes East of the Park and has a lot of great lakes, walking trails, and wildlife viewing.

One thing that I wish we would have done while we were there was go over to the Northrop Grumman Rocket Display. To go from 19-Century Rail History to Space History sounds like a fun time. It’s only 15 minutes West of the Park.

If you haven’t gotten enough trains, head on down to Ogden's Union Station and Railroad Museum. It’s 1 hour south of the Park and a great stop on your way back to Salt Lake City.

If you head about 2 hours south of the Park, you’ll find Antelope Island. It’s not an island anymore, but it is home to pronghorn antelope, bison, mule deer, and bighorn sheep, just to name a few. 

Golden Spike might not be on everyone’s radar, but if you want to stand where history shifted the future - and maybe grab a peach shake at Peach City in Brigham City while you’re at it - it’s absolutely worth the detour. Check out our video on the website, and as always, happy travels!