California Missions Trail
On April 26, 2023 we set off from San Diego, California on a walking journey to the Alta California Spanish Missions. This video provides a visual summary of our 800-mile California Missions Trail trek. During 57 hiking stages we walked from San Diego to Sonoma, visiting all 21 missions in the process.
After 52 stages of trekking, we had just five more days to hike on the 800-mile California Missions Trail. We usually look forward to the end of a trek with relief that the physical effort of hiking is over. In this case we felt something different as we left San Francisco to head north.
When we planned our California Missions trek, we discussed how far we should hike on the 800-mile trail. We debated trekking just as far north as Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo. But when I mentioned that the route crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge, Darren was sold on completing the entire trail.
California has 840 miles of coastline, and two of its best known bays are Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay. Our next 100-mile section of the California Missions Trail would take us from the National Marine Sanctuary in Monterey to the San Francisco Bay Area over seven stages.
When the 21 missions were established by Spain over 200 years ago, many of the sites evolved into California’s major cities. A few missions stayed isolated, with the areas around them little changed. We hiked 133 miles through some of the most remote locations of the mission network.
Our 800-mile route has taken us on long roads as we walked from mission to mission. While we enjoyed miles of peaceful rambles in beautiful rural areas, we also encountered sections of narrow shoulders, winding roads, blind curves, and busy traffic that kept us alert as we continued north.
During our first three weeks trekking the California Missions Trail, we visited six of the missions comprising Spain’s Alta California network. Now we had the opportunity to walk on some of the same roads and paths as the Franciscan priest missionaries and Native peoples did over 200 years ago.
When we decided to trek the California Missions Trail, we were nervous about the urban hiking and road walking. After completing some city hiking during our first two weeks, we were about to embark on a trip through the heart of the concrete jungle – Los Angeles County, home to the second-largest city in the United States.
After a week traveling along the coast, our California Missions Trail route turned inland to Orange County. In addition to visiting two more missions, we reflected on the memories we made from growing up, going to college, getting married, and raising our family there.
Most of the 800-mile California Missions Trail route travels inland, meaning we would not see the coastline for the majority of our trek. So we appreciated the opportunity to sojourn along the coast during our first five days, visiting two missions in the process.
This year we are trekking the 800-mile California Missions Trail. We will visit the 21 missions that were established by Spain between 1769 and 1823. Along the way, we will view California’s diverse natural beauty and learn about the cultural significance of the mission period in the state’s history.
