SacredSteps
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2021
UPDATED SEPT 2020
For those that are interested in walking the California Mission Trail, I thought I would share some of the most updated links and information about this wonderful pilgrimage walk along the Pacific Ocean and mountains of America's Golden State.
CALIFORNIA MISSIONS TRAIL OVERVIEW
Born from the ancient footpaths traversing the coast between California’s twenty-one Spanish missions, the California Missions Trail connects historic missions, pueblos, and presidios over an 800-mile long pilgrimage walk. Established between 1769 and 1823, the missions offered refuge and Christian hospitality along the dusty outposts of the Golden State. From their humble, thatch-roofed beginnings to the stately adobes we see today, the missions represent a dynamic and controversial chapter in the history of Spanish colonialism, Catholicism, and the birth of California as we know it today.
This 800-mile pilgrimage can be walked as a continuous through-hike in approximately 55 days or undertaken in segments. Most Mission Walkers begin at Mission San Diego and walk north to walk to finish at Mission San Francisco Solano. Traveling from south to north, the missions are as follows:
For more information on the history of each of California’s Spanish Missions, please visit the California Parks Department’s online archive.
GROUPS AND WEBSITES:
BOOKS AND GUIDES:
GPS KML GOOGLE EARTH MAPS FOR THE CALIFORNIA MISSION TRAIL:
Based upon guidebooks from Butch Briery and Jim Lutz, I have compiled multiple sets of GPS and Google Earth maps for the California Missions Trail online here.
PILGRIMAGE TOKENS/BADGES:
MORE CALIFORNIA MISSION WALK RESOURCES:
If I've overlooked a good resource, please post in the comments below and I will add it back to this original post.
For those that are interested in walking the California Mission Trail, I thought I would share some of the most updated links and information about this wonderful pilgrimage walk along the Pacific Ocean and mountains of America's Golden State.
CALIFORNIA MISSIONS TRAIL OVERVIEW
Born from the ancient footpaths traversing the coast between California’s twenty-one Spanish missions, the California Missions Trail connects historic missions, pueblos, and presidios over an 800-mile long pilgrimage walk. Established between 1769 and 1823, the missions offered refuge and Christian hospitality along the dusty outposts of the Golden State. From their humble, thatch-roofed beginnings to the stately adobes we see today, the missions represent a dynamic and controversial chapter in the history of Spanish colonialism, Catholicism, and the birth of California as we know it today.
This 800-mile pilgrimage can be walked as a continuous through-hike in approximately 55 days or undertaken in segments. Most Mission Walkers begin at Mission San Diego and walk north to walk to finish at Mission San Francisco Solano. Traveling from south to north, the missions are as follows:
- San Diego de Alcala, 1st mission
- San Luis Rey de Francia, 18th mission
- San Juan Capistrano, 7th mission
- San Gabriel Arcangel, 4th mission
- San Fernando Rey de Espana, 17th mission
- San Buenaventura, 9th mission
- Santa Barbara, 10th mission
- Santa Ines, 19th mission
- La Purisima Conception, 11th mission
- San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, 5th mission
- San Miguel Arcangel, 16th mission
- San Antonio de Padua, 3rd mission
- Nuestra Senora de la Soledad, 13th mission
- San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, 2nd mission
- San Juan Bautista, 15th mission
- Santa Cruz, 12th mission
- Santa Clara de Asis, 8th mission
- San Jose, 14th mission
- San Francisco de Asis, Mission Dolores, 6th mission
- San Rafael Arcangel, 20th mission
- San Francisco Solano, 21st mission
For more information on the history of each of California’s Spanish Missions, please visit the California Parks Department’s online archive.
GROUPS AND WEBSITES:
- The California Mission Trail
- California Mission Walkers Website
- California Mission Walkers Facebook Group
BOOKS AND GUIDES:
- California Mission Walk: The Original Hiker’s Guide To California’s 21 Spanish Missions Along El Camino Real by Butch Briery
- El Camino Real de California – A Hiker’s Guide to the California Mission Trail by Jim Lutz
- The Mission Walker by Edie Littlefield Sundby
GPS KML GOOGLE EARTH MAPS FOR THE CALIFORNIA MISSION TRAIL:
Based upon guidebooks from Butch Briery and Jim Lutz, I have compiled multiple sets of GPS and Google Earth maps for the California Missions Trail online here.
PILGRIMAGE TOKENS/BADGES:
MORE CALIFORNIA MISSION WALK RESOURCES:
- Key Differences between the California Missions Trail and Camino de Santiago
- A Beginner’s Guide to the California Missions Trail
- YOUTUBE: America's Up and Coming Camino by Sandy Brown
- YOUTUBE: Daily Video Summaries from the CMW by Sandy Brown
- Christian Clifford: "What I learned in St. Junipero Serra's Footprints"
- INSTAGRAM: #californiamissions photos
- Kurt’s California Missions Trail: walkpuravida.com
- Edie Littlefield Sundby’s The Mission Walker: The Mission Walker
- Kevin’s Beginner’s Guide to the California Mission Trail
- Christian’s Notes from the California Mission Trail
- Lin’s interview on Walking El Camino Real: discover-central-california.com/walking-el-camino-real
- One Step Then Another: Exploring the California Missions Trail
If I've overlooked a good resource, please post in the comments below and I will add it back to this original post.
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And given that you frequently have to walk next to paved roads and/or on sidewalks, expect it to feel even hotter. 
