Can You Find the Path to Freedom? The year is 1850. The Fugitive Slave Act has passed, and the North is no longer safe. In Shadow Routes, you aren't just reading history—you are living the perilous life of an Underground Railroad Conductor. Manage your supplies, evade relentless slave catchers, and navigate the frozen woods from Maryland to the Canadian border. With a "Suspicion Meter" that simulates the paranoia of the era and historically accurate Safe Houses, every step counts. Do you have the courage to keep the secret?

You are a Conductor on the Underground Railroad in the year 1850. The Fugitive Slave Act has just passed, making it illegal for anyone in the United States to help enslaved people escape. Slave catchers and patrols are everywhere.

Your goal is to guide a "Passenger" (a freedom seeker) from Maryland, through Pennsylvania and New York, and finally across the Suspension Bridge into Canada, where they will be free by law.

You will receive a game guide, teacher's guide, student worksheet, and direct link to the game for sharing with students. If you are a teacher and are worried about the game being blocked by your school's server, contact us; there are two easy ways to make the game available besides the direct link.

One license per educator.