You are here

Home » Hike Four Miles Of The Juan Bautista De Anza National Historic Trail

Hike Four Miles Of The Juan Bautista De Anza National Historic Trail

Share
By NPT Staff - January 9th, 2020
Map tracing the Juan Bautista de Anza Historic Trail/NPS

Map tracing the Juan Bautista de Anza Historic Trail/NPS

Juan Bautista de Anza was a determined Spaniard who was tasked with creating the first non-Native settlement on San Francisco Bay. He did it by leading more than 200 men, women, and children from Mexico to the Bay Area. During the next three months, you can hike a short, four-mile stretch of the trail in Arizona and have a shuttle ready to take you back to your rig.

The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail today commemorates, protects, marks, and interprets the route traveled by Anza during the years 1774 - 1776. Starting in Sinaloa and Sonora, New Spain (which is now in Mexico), he led more than 240 settlers to San Francisco to establish a mission and presidio there.

The trail invites travelers to experience the interweaving of the three elements of the Spanish plan for the colonization of its northern frontier: presidios (military forts), missions (religious centers), and pueblos (civilian towns). By following the trail, it becomes easier to grasp the links between the presidios of Tubac, Santa Barbara, and San Francisco, and to see patterns in the location, construction and use of Spanish Missions

During January, February, and March, staff at Tumacácori National Historical Park in Arizona will offer hikers the opportunity to walk the four-mile stretch of the trail between Tumacácori and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, catching a free ride back to their starting point. Hikers can begin at either end of the trail. Between 8 a.m. and noon on the second Sundays of January, February, and March the park will provide a continuously running shuttle between the trailheads.

A section of the trail along the Santa Cruz River at Tumacácori National Historical Park

A section of the trail along the Santa Cruz River at Tumacácori National Historical Park

Spending time outdoors confers many well-documented health benefits including mental, physical, and social well-being. Participants hiking park-to-park will tally up nearly 13,000 steps and earn their “I Hike for Health” pin.

Trail conditions may vary throughout the season. If sections between Tumacácori and Tubac are impassable, the shuttle may run between Tumacácori and the trailhead on Palo Parado. The four-mile stretch of Anza Trail is mostly level and shady. But you should wear good walking shoes, dress for the weather, and carry water and snacks.

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.