The Parting of the Ways is a fork in the Oregon Trail which marks the origin of the Sublette-Greenwood Cutoff route. The original trail continues southwest to Fort Bridger while the Sublette Cutoff veers west to cross the Little Colorado Desert providing a short cut to the Bear River. This historic fork in the Oregon Trail was a point where many wagon trains parted company. Some took the short dry route to Bear Valley saving 46 miles, while others took the longer Fort Bridger route to Oregon or on to Utah and California. The dry route included 50 waterless miles and became popular during the gold rush period.