Old Spanish Trail National Historic Trail

The Old Spanish National Historic Trail is a congressionally designated National Historic Trail spanning 2,700 miles from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Los Angeles, California, across six states. It commemorates the 1829 trade route pioneered by merchant Antonio Armijo, who transported textiles northward and livestock southbound, building on earlier Spanish colonial exploration paths. The trail is jointly managed by the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service in partnership with federal, state, and local agencies. It traverses diverse southwestern terrain including red rock mesas, mountain peaks, and river valleys.