JUAN BAUTISTA DE ANZA NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL – CALIFORNIA

The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is a 1,200 mile auto and recreation trail that commemorates the route followed by the 1775–1776 expedition led by Juan Bautista de Anza who led 240 men, women, and children on an epic journey from Sonora, Mexico to establish the first non-Native settlement – the Presidio of San Francisco, a military post.  Today, the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail connects history, culture, and outdoor recreation from Nogales, Arizona across southern Arizona and California, to the San Francisco Bay Area.

The California portion of the driving route starts just west of Yuma, Arizona, heading west on Interstate 8 towards El Centro in Imperial County and up into the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County. The trail then heads up north towards San Francisco, through Riverside and Los Angeles in Southern California, the Central Coastal regions of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, then the Central Valley regions of Paso Robles, King City and San Juan Bautista, into San Jose and then to the Presidio of San Francisco.
You can hike along the trail, attend cultural events, and visit many national park units and historic sites along the way. There is also an Amtrak ride from Santa Barbara to San Jose during the summer.

For more information call (415) 623-2343 or visit www.NPS.gov/juba.