Old Spanish National Historic Trail

National Historic Trail · AZ, CA, CO, NV, NM, UT

Old Spanish National Historic Trail

Follow the routes of mule pack trains across the Southwest on the Old Spanish National Historic Trail between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Los Angeles, California. New Mexican traders moved locally produced merchandise across what are now six states to exchange for mules and horses.

nps.gov ↗

Photos

crumbling adobe structure with blue sky — Santa Rosa de Lima de Abiquiú provided a way station for travelers along the Old Spanish Trail in the 1800s. It is privately owned by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

hikers walk beside a river with cottonwoods alongside the river — This section of the Rio Chama River, tributary of the Rio Grande, is located about six miles north of Abiquiú, New Mexico and flows through the Carson National Forest.

desert scrub in foreground, spiky mountains in background, clouds — Sierra Blanca is a prominent mountain in the Sangre de Cristo Range along San Luis Valley on Highway 17. Locating landmarks were essential to traveling the Old Spanish Trail.

desert scenery, dead tree, blue sky with puffy coulds — The San Rafael Swell is a huge craggy geologic feature (an anticline), about 75 miles by 40 miles, located in south-central Utah approximately 30 miles west of Green River.

a river carves through the landscape, greenery in the foreground, mountains and redrock backdrop — This section of the Virgin River Canyon Recreation Area is off Interstate 15 about 20 miles southwest of St. George, Utah and about 20 miles northeast of Mesquite, Nevada

rocky trail through desert with yucca, mountain in the background — This trail segment is 5.25 miles, and is part of the Old Spanish Trail/Mormon Road Historic District, outside Blue Diamond, Clark County, Nevada.

trail through desert scrub with Joshua trees, mountains in the distance, puffy clouds — Old Spanish Trail travelers used this section of the historic Mojave Road is within Mojave National Preserve.

Activities

Arts and Culture
Theater
Auto and ATV
Scenic Driving
Hiking
Horse Trekking