Park to Park Hike Along the Anza Trail

Date: February 25, 2016
Contact: Anita Badertscher, 520-377-5063

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016 by hiking the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail between Tumacácori National Historical Park and the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. On Saturday, April 9, from 9:30 to noon, hikers will be able to catch a free return shuttle back to their starting point after walking the 4 mile stretch of trail between the two parks.

Participants will receive their choice of a hiking stick medallion or pin representing each of the Park units. The young and young at heart may choose to participate in a special Junior Ranger activity to become an Anza Trail Junior Ranger. All participants will receive an annotated map of the entire route of the Anza expedition from Culiacán to San Francisco, including a list of the names and ages of the settlers who made the trek. Free shuttle service will return hikers to their park of origin, and admission to both Tubac and Tumacácori parks will be free until noon. 

How many places can you visit three unique and groundbreaking park units in the course of a single stroll? The Anza Trail, part of our national trail system, stretches from the Mexican border in Nogales to San Francisco, California, commemorating the founding in 1776 of that city by Tubac Captain Juan Bautista de Anza and a group of settlers from what is now Sonora, Mexico. You will be following the first walkable portion of the national trail created in 1990, the stretch between Tumacácori and Tubac. The Tubac Presidio, the site of the first European settlement in Arizona and the first Spanish fort in the Santa Cruz Valley, was also the first park in the Arizona State Park system. Tumacácori, the first mission established in 1691 by Jesuit missionary Father Eusebio Francisco Kino in what is now Arizona, was also among the first park sites established by President Theodore Roosevelt as a National Monument, in 1908 –the park celebrated its centennial eight years ago –it is older than the National Park Service! 

The four mile stretch of Anza Trail is mostly level and shady. Wear good walking shoes, dress for the weather, and carry water and snacks. 

For more information on the hike or other park events and activities, call Tumacácori National Historical Park at 520-377-5060, or visit the park website, at nps.gov/tuma.