El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail

Parks Directory of the United States / National Trails

(NPS National Trails System Office)
Address: PO Box 728
Santa Fe, NM 87504
Phone: 505-988-6888 - Phone;
Web: www.elcaminoreal.org
Established: October 13, 2000. Description: The longest and oldest European road in North America, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (The Royal Road of the Interior Lands) was used for more than 300 years as the primary route between northern Mexico and what is now the southwestern United States. It was used by the Spanish for colonization, missionary supply, commerce, cultural exchange, and military campaigns. American Indian groups dating back into prehistoric times, especially the Pueblo Indians of the Rio Grande River Valley, also used the area and trail along the Rio Grande long before Europeans arrived. After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, El Camino Real expanded its importance as a trade route and linked with the Santa Fe Trail. In 1846, it played an important part in the Mexican-American War and was also utilized during the U.S. Civil War, when three battles were fought in New Mexico. The historical period of the trail ended in 1882, when railroad connections replaced wagon trails across the West. The total mileage of El Camino Real from Mexico City to San Juan Pueblo is 1,500 miles. The trail is managed jointly by the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service.
Legth: 404 miles.

---

See other parks in New Mexico.

---

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail

Parks Directory of the United States / National Trails

(Camino Real Trail Association)
Address: PO Box 20500
El Paso, TX 79998
Web: www.elcaminoreal.org

---

See other parks in Texas.

---

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail

Parks Directory of the United States / National Trails

(Bureau of Land Management)
Address: PO Box 27115
Santa Fe, NM 87502
Phone: 505-438-7454 - Phone;
Fax: 505-438-7426 - Fax;

---

See other parks in New Mexico.