The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center tells the story of the Oregon Trail through a series of exhibits and displays. Admission to the center is free through the rest of December 2024.

BAKER CITY — The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center won’t charge admission for the rest of 2024.

Operated by the Bureau of Land Management on Flagstaff Hill about 5 miles east of Baker City, the center is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It also will be open Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Featuring a variety of exhibits related to the experiences of emigrants on the Oregon Trail during the 19th century, the facility opened in May 1992 and has welcomed about 2.4 million visitors since.

The center also has a section devoted to Native American history.

It was closed in November 2020 due to the pandemic and remained closed, for a $6.5 million renovation to reduce its electricity usage, until May 24, 2024.

Slightly more than 20,000 people visited the center between then and Labor Day.

The center was the county’s most popular attraction in the decade or so after its opening. Visitor numbers totaled 201,000 in 1992 (when it was open for slightly more than half the year), and 1993 was the peak year with 348,000 visitors. That was also the 150th anniversary of the first major emigration on the Oregon Trail. There were multiple events locally related to the milestone, including the convention of the Oregon-California Trails Association.

Annual visitor numbers remained above 117,000 through 1997.

Between 1998 and 2019, the yearly average was about 55,000, ranging from a high of 99,000 in 1998 to a low of 33,000 in 2013.

Even when the center is closed, visitors can hike the network of trails, much of which is paved, that starts near the main parking lot.

After Dec. 31 the center will continue its winter schedule, open Thursday through Sunday, with admission $5 for ages 16 and over, $4 for seniors, and free for those younger than 16.

America the Beautiful passes are accepted at all times.

The center will be open every day starting sometime in the spring.

Starting April 1, admission is $8 for age 16 and over, and $6 for seniors.

The center is at 22267 Highway 86. From I-84, take Exit 302 to Highway 86 and drive east 4½ miles. The interpretive center entrance, marked with a sign, is on the left (north) side of the highway.