by Clarke Condé on
THE OLD SPANISH TRAIL
The vital pack mule caravan route connected Santa Fe to Los Angeles throughout the 1830s and ’40s. Following established Native footpaths, the roughly 2,700-mile trail runs along two routes that include historic sites such as the Aztec Ruins National Monument. Start in Abiquiú, as merchant Antonio Armijo did when he first established the trail in 1829. There you’ll find Bode’s General Store, which has been supplying travelers since 1919, for all your road trip essentials.
EL CAMINO REAL DE TIERRA ADENTRO
Translated from Spanish as “the royal road to the interior land,” this nearly 1,600-mile trail began in 1598 as the essential route from Mexico City to Santa Fe. Today, stop in Bernalillo at the Coronado Historic Site, where in 1540 Francisco Vásquez de Coronado searched for the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. Here, in the Ancestral Pueblo village of Kuaua, 14 original kiva murals have returned to public display after a major renovation.
THE SANTA FE TRAIL
William Becknell first blazed this 1,200-mile trail from Missouri to Santa Fe in 1821, bringing goods and settlers west. In 1851, Fort Union was established along the trail just outside what is now Watrous, in Mora County. The fort and the troops garrisoned there were pivotal in protecting travelers from hostile attacks along the trail. Throughout the 19th century, the trail was fraught with challenges, but today, exploring the trail through New Mexico can include glamping in a teepee or yurt at the 20-acre Nomad Landing in Clayton.