This post covers five national historic trails in the southwest. I hope they inspire your travels.

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Royal Road of the Interior, followed ancient Native American trading routes to connect the northern colonies of New Spain with the Aztec capital conquered by Cortés in 1521. In 1598, Juan de Oñate brought a colony of settlers north from Mexico City to the pueblos around Santa Fe, near Taos, Bandelier and Pecos. The trail crosses El Paso, past the Salinas Pueblo and past the Petroglyphs in Albuquerque. In 1680, 2,000 Spanish missionaries, settlers and soldiers fled south on this road after the Pueblo Revolt, before returning 12 years later. Santa Fe New Mexico became the crossroad of international trade in North America.

El Camino Real de Los Tejas, the Royal Road of the Friends, runs from the Mexican border near Laredo, through the San Antonio missions, into Louisiana near Cane River Creole. Tejas is a Spanish version of a native Caddo word for ‘friend’ and became the name of the state of Texas. The Spanish established missions at the east end of the trail in the 1690s, withdrew after conflict with the Caddo, and then returned in the 1710s to establish the capital of their Texas colony in Louisiana. Due to conflict with the French in Louisiana, they relocated the missions to San Antonio, after negotiating peace with the Apache, and eventually moved their provincial capital there. Unfortunately for the Spanish, the trail encouraged many American settlers to move in, and they fomented a revolt leading to the US annexation of Texas.

In 1775, Juan Bautista de Anza led another colony of Spanish settlers north from Mexico to establish San Francisco. The 1,200 mile trail is named for him, and it passes roughly through the following park sites in Arizona and California.

• Tumacacori
• Saguaro
• Casa Grande
• Santa Monica
• John Muir
• Golden Gate

The Old Spanish Trail was also built on ancient native trade routes expanded by Spanish, Mexican and American explorers, including Kit Carson. It connects Santa Fe with Los Angeles, via a few alternate branches through Colorado, Utah, Arizona & Nevada, and the branches pass roughly through the following park sites.

• Great Sand Dunes
• Curecanti
• Gunnison
• Colorado
• Aztec Ruins
• Mesa Verde
• Hovenweep
• Arches
• Navajo
• Glen Canyon
• Pipe Spring
• Lake Mead
• Mojave

After Mexican Independence in 1821, Americans found that they could travel to New Mexico without fear of being arrested and jailed in Mexico City. The Santa Fe Trail connects to St Louis, passing roughly through the following park units. Today, the Santa Fe & Old Spanish trails roughly parallel the BNSF Railroad and Route 66.

• Truman
• Tallgrass Prairie
• Fort Larned
• Amache
• Bent’s Old Fort
• Fort Union (see photo)
• Pecos