California Missions Trail

Born from historic footpaths between twenty-one Spanish missions, the California Missions Trail – El Camino Real (“The Royal Road”) as it was first known – connects missions, pueblos, and presidios over 800 miles of America’s Pacific Coastline.

A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO THE CALIFORNIA MISSIONS TRAIL

Born from the ancient footpaths traversing the coast between California’s twenty-one Spanish missions, the California Missions Trail or El Camino Real in California (“The Royal Road”) as it is also known connects historic missions, pueblos, and presidios over an 800-mile long pilgrimage walk. Established between 1769 and 1823, the missions offered refuge and Christian hospitality along the dusty outposts of the Golden State. From their humble, thatch-roofed beginnings to the stately adobes we see today, the missions represent a dynamic chapter in the history of Spanish colonialism, Catholicism, and the birth of California as we know it today.

 
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Planning a Pilgrimage on the California Missions Trail? Click to view Kevin’s tips and recommendations from his pilgrimage and backpacking blog, One Step Then Another: