U.S. National Historic Trails
I keeping finding the same historic trails while driving or biking. At first I thought it was an odd coincidence. But, it keeps happening. Apparently, I am destined to cross many trails.
My Travels
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Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
This trail extends across a 1200 mile route followed in 1775-1776 by Spanish commander Juan Bautista de Anza II, who led almost 300 colonists on an expedition from Mexico to found a presidio and mission near San Francisco Bay.
2022-10 Tucson, AZ – “Huckelberry Loop”
2023-01 Lake Perris State Recreational Area…. Near Riverside, CA
2024-01 On my way to Big Sur, CA …. Near Monterey, CA
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail winds nearly 4,900 miles through 16 states (IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MO, MT, NE, ND, OH, OR, PA, SD, WA, WV) and the homelands of more than 60 Tribal nations. It follows the historic outbound and inbound routes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803-1806 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the Pacific Ocean.
2023-08 Nearby Salmon, ID
Old Spanish Trail
In 1776, during the Spanish period, priests Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Velez de Escalante left Santa Fe and explored far and wide through northern New Mexico, western Colorado, and southern Utah. Much of this county would later be part of the Old Spanish Trail. During this same time period, Franciscan priests, the Spanish military, and civilian explorers were beginning to settle various coastal valleys in Alta California. No one, however, made the trek connecting California and New Mexico.
It took the vision and courage of Mexican trader Antonio Armijo to lead the first commercial caravan from Abiquiú, New Mexico to Los Angeles in late 1829. Following suit over the next twenty years, Mexican and American traders continued to use routes similar to the one he pioneered, frequently trading with Indian tribes along the way. It was from a combination of the indigenous footpaths, early trade and exploration routes, and horse and mule routes that the trail network known collectively as the “Old Spanish Trail” evolved. (The name was a term rooted in John C. Frémont’s report of his 1844 journey over the trail for the U.S. Topographical Corps., guided by Kit Carson. While the name acknowledges the fact that parts of the trail had been known to the Spanish since the 16th century, the 2,700-mile trail was not established until the Mexican period.)
2023-12 Less than a mile from my house
2023-12 On my way to Death Valley, CA
2024-09: Wandering around the Plaza of Sante Fe
2025-05: Driving back from Bryce Canyon National Park… near Paragonah, UT
