About This BlogThe Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail connects history, culture, and outdoor recreation from Nogales, Arizona to the San Francisco Bay Area. This newsletter brings communities and partners together along the 1,200-mile route. Follow along to learn about news, events, and accomplishments along the Anza Trail. Moreno Valley/Anza Trail Dedication
October 31, 2024
On July 24th, 2024, the City of Moreno Valley and the Anza Trail team collaborated to commemorate a new significant partnership and dedicate a new Anza Trail segment. The 27th Annual ANZA Society Conference
October 03, 2024
The 27th Annual ANZA Society Conference was held in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe Area during Sept 19-22, 2024, and was enjoyed by attendees and presenters alike. View the post for the full summary of events. ATCA Mile-Markers in Santa Cruz County
September 04, 2024
June 2024 was an exciting time for the Anza Trail Coalition of Arizona (ATCA), as they finished placing quarter-mile trail markers on the Santa Cruz County part of the Anza Trail. New Anza Trail Foundation Logo
August 23, 2024
In 2021, as the National Park Service sought to expand the trail narrative by incorporating more Indigenous perspectives, the ATF committed to creating a new logo that would reflect this broader Trail narrative. In 2024, the ATF adopted the new logo, which was more modern in appearance and more accurately reflective of the Trail. Updated “Afro-Latinidad on the Anza Trail” Brochure
August 13, 2024
Dr. Bri Romanello recently updated the “Discovering Early California Afro-Latino Presence” brochure. We wanted the brochure to use more sensitive, historically accurate language emphasizing healing and accountability, especially towards Black and Indigenous community members and Anza expedition descendants living along the trail. Here is a summary of updates and what to expect from the updated “Afro-Latinidad on the Anza Trail” brochure. Centralizing Content on nps.gov/juba
July 23, 2024
The Anza Trail has historically had a very small team who needed to contract outside help to disseminate information, which led to hosting content on multiple sites. Now that the trail has a larger team and a dedicated media manager, we have more resources to update the information on nps.gov. Prototype with Mission Garden
July 09, 2024
Following a workshop with the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, the Anza Trail and Mission Garden worked together to introduce an experimental pop-up program. It encouraged visitors to connect to deep and complex histories through their own experiences on the land. They placed three temporary posters throughout the gardens with first-hand quotes, followed by reflective questions for visitors to ponder. Mighty Oak Trees Along The Trail
April 23, 2019
California is home to wild oak landscapes that have been providing life for centuries. Come explore these environments that the Anza expedition encountered on their journey through California. New Wayside Panel in San Juan Bautista, CA.
April 22, 2019
A new Interpretive Wayside panel was installed to replace an old deteriorating one along the Trail. See what the Anza Trail volunteers in San Juan Bautista have been up to!. Anza Traveling Exhibit in King City California.
March 12, 2019
The Anza traveling exhibit is heading to King City, California! Afro Latinos and the development of early California
February 15, 2019
Among the earliest non-indigenous residents of California were hundreds of people of African background who descended from slaves taken to Mexico during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Dispatches from the Trail
January 30, 2019
Current Anza Trail conditions in Southern Arizona due to river flooding. New - Trail Maps of Southern Arizona
November 30, 2018
A new map of Southern Arizona from Tucson to Nogales highlights the cultural, natural, recreation, and historic resources associated with the Anza Expedition. El Corrido de Anza: A Musical Narrative of the Anza Trail
November 26, 2018
The National Park Service and Los Cenzontles Productions is proud to announce the release of “El Corrido de Anza”. Join us and take a musical journey of the Anza Expedition. AIANTA to Develop Tribal Travel Guide Interpreting the Anza Trail
November 16, 2018
In partnership with the National Park Service, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association will produce a printed guidebook interpreting the trail through the stories of the tribes along the way. Southern California Landscapes along the Anza Trail
October 29, 2018
As part of Trails 50, the National Park Service is working with the Friends of Griffith Park to install two new outdoor interpretive exhibits along the Anza Recreation Trail. These will be part of the improvements happening along the recreation trail in Griffith Park. Celebrating Pima County!
October 25, 2018
Celebrating Pima County and the certification of 47 miles of trail and 6 trailheads as official components of the Juan Baustista de Anza National Historic Trail and the 50th Anniversary of the National Trails System! Photographer Finishes 1,200-Mile Hike of the Entire Anza Trail
May 03, 2016
Photographer and author Bart Smith completed a hike of the entire 1,200-mile Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail on Friday, April 29, 2016. Staff from the Anza Trail and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy greeted him at the Golden Gate Bridge 68 days after he set off from Nogales, Arizona. Here is Bart's reflection as he neared the finish line: Book Review -- The Forgotten Governor: Fernando de Rivera and the Opening of Alta California
May 03, 2016
In his book, The Forgotten Governor: Fernando de Rivera and the Opening of Alta California (Langdon Street Press), author John Wills makes a case to include Rivera among the illustrious group. Read more for the full review. Anza Trail Volunteer Sandra Candanosa of Concord Honored with National Park Service Volunteer Award
May 12, 2016
Sandra Candanosa of Concord, California, has been named the regional recipient of the National Park Service George and Helen Hartzog Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. Los Angeles Event Helps Anza Trail Reach its Centennial Goals
May 12, 2016
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti certified 30 miles of the Los Angeles River Greenway as an official component of the Anza Trail while simultaneously swearing in 500 new Anza Trail Junior Rangers at a major event. Learning about the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
May 12, 2016
Staff from the National Park Service Pacific West Region HQ left their skyscraper office and took a learning tour of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail through the San Francisco Bay Area on April 25, 2016. Tucson Sees 100 Classroom Presentations for the 100th Birthday of the National Park Service
June 08, 2016
This school year, more than 2,500 fourth graders across Tucson and southern Arizona connected with the 100th birthday of the National Park Service through 100 classroom presentations about the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. A Beautiful Arrival Ceremony at the Presidio of San Francisco, June 25, 2016
July 13, 2016
Every year descendants of the original families of the second Juan Bautista de Anza Expedition, through their group Los Californianos, return to the Presidio of San Francisco in June to recognize the amazing journey of their ancestors and to celebrate the founding of that site with a special commemoration and luncheon. In Memoriam: Phil Valdez, Jr.
June 12, 2018
A "giant" in the world of California colonial history, Phil Valdez, Jr., passed away, May 10th, 2018 in Ukiah after a valiant fight with a long term illness. Junior Rangers and Families on the Anza Trail
May 03, 2018
Melissa Avery is known as “Chasqui Mom" and blogs about her outdoor family adventures in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Melissa and her Family often pass Anza Trail Auto Route signage, the Anza Trail historic corridor, and certified Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail during their family adventures and daily lives in the Bay Area. Digital Experience: The Anza Trail in Imperial County
April 26, 2018
Join us as we follow the Anza Expedition from the Yuma Crossing through the Colorado Desert in Baja California and Imperial County! This Story Map Cascade shows off some of the best opportunities to experience a landscape similar to what the expedition would have seen as they traveled through. Trails & Rails Volunteer Program
April 19, 2018
All Aboard! Did you know that the Trails & Rails program is a partnership between Amtrak and the National Park Service that educates travelers on the heritage and natural resources of a specific region while traveling by rail? Check out the Juan Bautista de Anza Trails & Rails Volunteer opportunities today! Dark Sky Photography: Tips and Tricks for Finding your Night Sky
April 09, 2018
Did you know that there are Dark Sky Parks and Communities along the Anza Trail? These places have been certified by the International Dark Sky Association as a dark sky place and are beautiful places to experience the Anza Trail and photograph the night sky. And there are many other places along the trail to shoot the stars! Read below for some tools of the trade and get out there to #FindYourTrail and your #NightSky! On the Trail: Lucy's Warbler Nestboxes - Bringing Birds Home
April 02, 2018
The Tucson Audubon has been working in along the Anza Trail near Tubac, Arizona. Read about their Lucy's nestbox study first year report. To Manuela...
March 27, 2018
In the Bicentennial edition of Antepasados, produced by Los Californianos, Lydia Margarita Weis chose to memorialize María Ygnacia Manuela Piñuelas de Féliz in a poem, “To Manuela.” We selected to pull this tribute out of the archives to end our series during Women’s History Month commemorating the women of the expedition and Manuela, the only death of the expedition. Women's History and the Anza Trail
March 15, 2018
Park Ranger Fatima Colindres from Golden Gate National Recreation Area shares a personal connection with the legacy and women from the Anza Expedition. Ranger Colindres brings history alive with her interpretive program that highlights the life of Juana Briones, a descendant of the Anza Expedition. Passport to Your National Trails
March 08, 2018
Golden Gate Bridge Volunteer Lenna Saleh shares her experience of serendipitously learning about the Anza Trail via the Passport to Your National Parks program and her road trip to visit all (but two) of the passport stamp locations. She reflects on learning about the expedition, California's history, and the varied landscapes of the trail. Digital Experience: Anza Expedition Through The Eyes of a Child
March 02, 2018
Story Maps - Anza Expedition through children's eyes. A new interactive map experience for digital visitors to the Anza Trail. Afro-Latinos in Early California
February 22, 2018
Introduction to Afro-Latino presence and contributions to Early California. Birding along the Anza Trail in Arizona
February 15, 2018
Serious birders from sea to shining sea and beyond are familiar with the Anza Trail in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, for the beauty, diversity and rarity of birds seen there. Two Leaders, One Trail: Anza and Font; Leadership and Duty
February 13, 2018
In February the National Park Service is exploring stories and inspiration from leaders and about leadership. In this article, Anza Society member, Ronald Quinn, Ph.D. explores two of the leaders of the 1775-76 colonizing expedition and the motivations behind their leadership. Digital Experiences: The Anza Trail in Southern Arizona
February 01, 2018
Introducing Story Maps - a new interactive map experience for digital visitors to the Anza Trail. We're sharing the first in a series of maps about the Santa Cruz River Valley in Southern Arizona. VOLUNTEERS WANTED for the Anza Trail Color Guard
January 25, 2018
Anza Trail Color Guard president is recruiting for volunteers! Learn more about what our living historians do as interpreters of the Anza Trail. Where's the Visitors Center?
January 11, 2018
An introduction to the many components of the Anza Trail and how to find where to visit. Opening Doors: My time as an Intern with the Anza Trail
January 04, 2018
LHIP Intern Lizzet Pineda, describes her six month internship with the Anza Trail. |
Last updated: June 17, 2024