• Two-wheeled carretas carried goods up El Camino from Mexico City in 1598; walking the trail in the Jornada del Muerto, a scorching 90-mile stretch of El Camino wherein colonists had to leave the cool Rio Grande to continue their journey north

    El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

    National Historic Trail NM,TX

Places To Go

There are many places of history and commemoration on El Camino Real for you to visit. All of these sites participate in El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail. Museums, interpretive centers, and historic sites provide information and interpretation. Please contact each site before you go for closures or changes in hours.

Due to the trail's length, information about historic sites and interpretive facilities are organized above by state. For federal sites on or near the trail in each state, visit Nearby Attractions.

Did You Know?

Traces of a dirt road, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, stretch across a southern New Mexico desert landscape

Throughout the 17th century, Santa Fe was the only incorporated Spanish town north of Chihuahua. Soon after its establishment in 1610, Santa Fe became the terminus for trade caravans from Mexico City, which traveled on El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro for 1,500 miles.