Antioch/Oakley Regional Shoreline

Anza Expedition Camp Site

The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail enters the Presidio here at Mountain Lake. The trail continues north to the edge of San Francisco, commemorating the route followed by the de Anza's expedition from Sonora, Mexico to the Golden Gate.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest of the California State Parks and protects a crossroads of desert landscapes and ecosystems. It is located on the traditional homelands of the Cocopah and Cuahuilla. The park contains a particularly dramatic and scenic section of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.

Big Break Regional Shoreline

Casa Grande Ruins

Rising from the Sonoran Desert floor near the Gila River is one of the largest prehistoric structures ever built in North America. Its purpose remains a mystery, though many have tried to understand and explain its existence. Members of the Anza expedition visited the site in October of 1775 and recorded the measurements of the ruins and transcribed a partial story narrated by an O'odham (Gila Pima) leader.

Christopher Columbus Park

Colorado River State Historic Park

The Colorado River State Historic Park preserves and interprets the complex and dynamic history of Yuma and the Colorado River, including the Anza expedition who crossed the Colorado River near here in November of 1775. Anza Trail Passport Stamp #12 is located in the Colorado River State Historic Park Visitor Center.

Don Fernando Pacheco Adobe

Don Salvio Pacheco Adobe

Fort Point Lighthouse: Fort Point Tour

Starting in 1852, the United States government went lighthouse-crazy, funding the construction of 59 lighthouses along the California coast. At this early date, the Fort Point light was one of 13 serving the San Francisco Bay. The original light was built and destroyed in 1853. Army engineers blew up the bluff it stood on to make way for the construction of Fort Point. A second lighthouse, built near the water in 1855, was removed to permit seawall construction.

Gila Bend

Gila Bend Museum and Visitor Center provides exhibits about the history and culture of the area. The Anza Trail Passport Stamp #10 is located here.

Gila River Indian Community

Historic Hacienda de la Canoa

Historic ranch along the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places and includes historic campsite #15 of the Anza expedition.

• A gated entrance opens to a wide gravel road that passes a large lake surrounded by cacti, brush, and trees and leads to a white single-story adobe and stucco building.

Juan de Anza House, CA

The Spanish founded Mission San Juan Bautista as the 15th mission in 1797. One of the oldest buildings in San Juan Bautista’s Third Street Historic District and a National Historic Landmark in its own right is the Juan de Anza House or Casa Juan de Anza Adobe that dates from 1834 during the period of Mexican control.

• The Anza House, Casa Juan de Anza Adobe, is an example of a Spanish Colonial style dwelling built during the Mexican era of California’s history. Practiced throughout what are today the States of California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas, the Spanish Colonial style was extremely popular because the adobe material used to construct these buildings was readily available and inexpensive. Most built between 1600 and 1840, Spanish Colonial dwellings generally have sun-dried adobe brick exterior walls covered with a whitewashed lime plaster coating that helped protect them from the regional weather extremes. The thick adobe walls helped to insulate the houses -- keeping them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The typical Spanish Colonial dwellings throughout this region were one-story and had a basic rectangular shape. Constructed in 1834 as the Anza family residence, the Casa Juan de Anza Adobe was originally a one-story, rectangular two-room adobe house covered with whitewashed plaster. A farmer or merchant looking to make additional income likely built the house. In the 1850s, the adobe house was “Americanized” and enlarged, and windows with wooden or metal bars were added.

Las Lagunas de Anza Interpretive Site

Juan Bautista de Anza NHT, Passport Stamp #2 - Las Lagunas de Anza, AZ

Mission San Agustín del Tucson

Mission San Xavier del Bac

Mission San Xavier del Bac is an important site along the Anza Trail and an iconic image of southern Arizona. It is located on the Tohono O'odham Nation and the mission church is intimately linked to the history of the people who have claimed this land as home for centuries.

• Of Baroque design, the large stucco church has two bell towers, one of, which is incomplete. The church's beautiful front portal is decorated with scrolled ornaments and sculptures and virtually the entire interior is covered with elaborately painted and sculpted surfaces.

Mountain Lake Park

Mountain Lake Park is a city park that's an awesome place to bring the kiddos. There's swings, slides and things to climb, and all tucked away in a quiet neighborhood.

Museum of Sonoran History - Museo Costumbrista de Sonora

The Museum of Sonora History in Álamos, Sonora, includes interpretation and information about the Anza Expedition. An Anza NHT Passport Stamp is also found here.

Painted Rock Petroglyph Site

Picacho Peak (Cerro de Tacca)

Picacho Peak is a prominent landmark and an integral piece of the cultural landscape in southern Arizona. It is an Arizona State Park and an official NPS Anza NHT Passport Stamp can be found here at the visitor center.

Presidio San Agustín del Tucson

The Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum is a re-creation of the Tucson Presidio built in 1775, the same year that the Anza expedition passed through along the Santa Cruz River along the overland route that would establish the city of San Francisco and Spanish power in Alta California. An Anza NHT Passpost Stamp is located here.

Puerto del Azotado

Roberto-Suñol Adobe

Saguaro National Park West

San Cayetano de Calabazas

Only accessible during guided tours, the Calabazas mission site offers an excellent perspective on the adaptive re-use of mission-era buildings through the Civil War period and beyond.

• A large metal roof shelters the adobe remnants of a church. At the north side, the roof extends in a leg to the east and then down to create a corrugated metal wall. Remaining exterior adobe walls extend in a north-south orientation over about 30 feet. Some dividing walls still exist inside the space, as well as doorways and window openings. At the south east corner of the fenced area, a remnant structure built from stone and mortar still stands.

Santa Cruz River

The Santa Cruz River is an international waterway. It begins in the San Rafael Valley, flows southward into Mexico, then makes a U-turn back into the United States. Here, it flows from south to north, eventually joining the Gila River. The river creates essential habitat and a wildlife corridor for threatened and endangered species.

• The Santa Cruz river runs from south to north in a winding channel about 30 feet wide. The flow passes very slowly and the water is shallow. The river banks are eroded and appear as if the water flow increases and decreases frequently. Lining the banks on both sides of the river are towering cottonwood trees, hundreds of feet tall, creating a tunnel of tree canopy above the river. On the river banks, branches, leaves and other debris are scattered in the understory along with some grasses and other moisture-loving vegetation.

Santa Cruz River Park

Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area

Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area celebrates the region’s natural resources, rich history, and heritage shaped by generations of Native American, Spanish, and Mexican cultures.

• The landscape for this National Heritage Area covers 3,300 square miles consisting of urban, suburban, and rural areas settled within the alternating mountain ranges, valleys, plateaus, and expansive deserts. Elevation can reach over 9,000 ft in some areas. Santa Cruz Valley is an arid desert climate but also includes many rivers and ephemeral lakes.

Sears Point

Sonoran Desert National Monument

Stop 12: Juan Bautista de Anza

Stop 12 of the cell phone tour for the main grounds at the John Muir National Historic Site, which houses the Martinez Adobe. This stop includes interpretive information about the history of the Anza Expedition, part of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.

• This is "Stop 12" of the main grounds tour. This stop is for the Martinez Adobe, which is on the main grounds of the John Muir National Historic Site. The audio tour covers information about the history of the Anza expedition in the late 1700's, and is part of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.

Tubac Presidio State Historic Park

Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is a Spanish Colonial site in Arizona and a Certified Interpretive Site on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. An Anza NHT Passport Stamp is available at the visitor center. The site also provides trailhead access to a portion of the Anza Recreational Trail.

Tumacácori - Anza Trail Junction

The Santa Cruz River has long been a highway of trade and travel. Prehistoric people followed the river to trade with neighbors. The O’odham farmed along the river, using the floodplain and low banks to grow crops. Later, missionaries and explorers would rely on these existing networks to colonize the area.

• At this intersection, the Anza trail runs north and south. To the east, the trail continues to the river overlook. There is colorful wayside exhibit with information about the Anza expedition commemorated by the intersecting trail. This point marks the junction of trails – to the west, trails lead back to the mission grounds. To the east, the trail leads to the river. The Anza trail runs north and south. A nearby bench invites visitors to rest.

Tumacácori Visitor Center - Mission Model

The mission community included housing for the mission residents and the priest, workshops, class rooms, a cemetery, a mortuary chapel, an irrigation system, gardens, orchards, and grazing lands. In fact, a mission did not always have a church. Tumacácori was established as a mission in 1691, but it did not have a dedicated church building until 1756, over sixty years later.

• Sitting in the middle of an open alcove corner room is a small-scale model of the mission grounds encased in a plexiglass display case measuring about 4 feet by 4 feet. The model provides an aerial view of the grounds as they may have appeared during mission times. Miniature figures portray the major elements of the Tumacácori mission: The Franciscan church flanked on the north by the cemetery, storeroom, and on the northeast by buried ruins of workshops in the courtyard arcade, and the south by the convento complex arcade area and courtyard walls. Further northeast of the church courtyard area, the model displays miniature renditions of the acequia or irrigation canals, and the orchard. This mission model display is the centerpiece of the room you are standing in and offers a small-scale view of what the grounds may once have looked like. This view contrasts with the scene of the actual Tumacácori church and grounds visible through large open, arched windows of this room. Today’s Tumacácori is now in various states of preservation, stabilization and ruin.

Waterbird Regional Preserve

Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area

The Colorado River crossing at Yuma, Arizona, has a rich history, accented in recent years by irrigation works that have transformed the region into an agricultural oasis. But in the process, riparian areas suffered and the riverfront became blighted. Today, Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area is working to restore the region’s wetlands and reconnect the city to its historic downtown. 

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center

• Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center
• The Visitor Center is located at the west end of Palm Canyon Dr. Approaching from the west on S-22, make a left at the stop sign at the intersection of Montezuma Valley Rd and Palm Canyon Dr. Follow Palm Canyon Drive to the parking lot at the end. If approaching from the east, Borrego Salton Seaway, follow S-22 through the town of Borrego Springs. S-22 will turn into Palm Canyon Drive. Follow Palm Canyon Drive all the way to the parking lot at the end of the road.

Big Break Visitor Center at the Delta

• Big Break Visitor Center at the Delta
• The Visitor Center is accessible from Big Break Road. It includes hands-on and informational displays about the Delta. The center is staffed by Naturalists and Student Aides who are happy to share information about the park and activities in the area, including wetland walks and adjoining trails. In addition, Big Break Regional Shoreline offers picnic and meadow areas, a small, shaded amphitheater, boat and kayak launch facilities, and a fishing pier.

Gila Bend Visitor Center

• Gila Bend Visitor Center
• An affiliated Arizona Office of Tourism Visitor Center, travelers can expect to find information about any of the four regions of our amazing State, as well as destination information about Gila Bend. Call (928) 683-2255 for more information.

Griffith Park Visitor Center

• Griffith Park Visitor Center
• Griffith Park Visitor Center, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90027. Stop by the Visitor Center for information regarding Griffith Park activities, attractions, and permits. You may also call the Visitor Center Permit Office at (323) 644-2050, Tuesday to Saturday, from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm.

Saguaro National Park East - Rincon Mountain District Visitor Center

• Saguaro National Park East - Rincon Mountain District Visitor Center
• Saguaro National Park has two districts geographically separated by the city of Tucson. The Rincon Mountain District (RMD) is often referred to as Saguaro East, while the Tucson Mountain District (TMD) is often referred to as Saguaro West.

Saguaro National Park West - The Red Hills Visitor Center

• Saguaro National Park West - The Red Hills Visitor Center
• The Red Hills Visitor Center is a great place to learn about the park and start your visit to Saguaro National Park's West District. Views from the patio are spectacular and overlook the Red Hills and majestic Saguaro cactus forest nearby. Learn more about the unique geology of the Tucson Mountains, get great recommendations on how to get the most out of your time in the park, or explore the park bookstore. General information, park maps, and hiking guides are available in front of the building 24-hrs a day

Santa Monica Mountains Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center

• Santa Monica Mountains Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center
• The Santa Monica Mountains Interagency Visitor Center is located in what once was the ranch stables, which was part of King C. Gillette Ranch. The stables were refurbished to make it a visitor center. In alignment with the Department of the Interior sustainability goals, the building is the first “net zero” visitor center in the National Park Service and worked with the U.S. Green Building Council to qualify the building as a LEED certified facility.

William Penn Mott, Jr. Presidio Visitor Center

• William Penn Mott, Jr. Presidio Visitor Center
• The visitor center is the go-to place to find out what is happening and what there is to do in the Presidio. Discover the Presidio through a large relief map, inspiring video, engaging exhibitions on history and nature, interactive tools, and knowledgeable staff that can help you uncover the incredible array of experiences possible here.

• Hike, cycle, or ride through Fort Ord National Monument
• Hike or ride a strenuous 4.5-mile segment that crosses the majestic grasslands of Fort Ord National Monument. The Monument segment is anchored by the Creekside Terrace Trailhead and the Badger Hills Trailhead where restrooms, maps, and interpretive displays are provided. The Creekside Terrace Trailhead has potable water.

• Hike the Anza Trail through Moreno Valley
• Enjoy an easy 8-mile out-and-back urban trail through Moreno Valley. This multi-use paved path starts at a city park and ends at a California state recreation area.

• Hike the Arrowhead Loop Trail
• Explore part of the Anza Recreational Retracement Trail by hiking this challenging 4-mile one-way loop through Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve in Santa Clara, CA.

• Hike the Delta de Anza/Mokelumne Loop
• Enjoy a moderate 5.62-mile loop by taking the Mokelumne Coast-to-Crest Trail to the Delta de Anza Trail. This paved loop passes through or near several schools and community parks and provides access to Contra Loma Regional Park and Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. The trail has several steep inclines and is not recommended for people who use a wheelchair.

• Hike the Santa Cruz River
• The Santa Cruz River forms a ribbon of life in the Pimería Alta. Whether walking to its edge or along its length, visitors will encounter the fundamental building blocks of nature and human civilization.

• Hike the Anza Trail from Tumacácori to Tubac, AZ
• Hike through shady cottonwood galleries and mesquite bosques along this six-mile stretch of the Anza Trail between Tumacácori National Historic Park and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park.

• Experience the Anza Trail by Train
• Experience the Anza Trail with NPS volunteer historians and interpreters on board Amtrak's Coast Starlight between Santa Barbara and San Jose.