The Old Spanish Trail comprises a series of trade routes that were used by Spanish explorers and settlers during the 1770s up until the mid-1800s. The trail connects Santa Fe in New Mexico with Los Angeles in California, passing through the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Nevada. Travelers along the trail experience a wide variety of sights and sounds, including remote, rugged landscapes and lovingly preserved archeological treasures.
One stretch of the Old Spanish Trail, known as the Armijo Route, runs along the border between Arizona and Utah. The Armijo Route passes through the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a rugged and remote area of plateaus, canyons and cliffs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, this national monument covers an area of approximately 1.9 million acres.
The Armijo section of the Old Spanish Trail also passes near the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, located just south of the Utah state line. The main feature of this national monument is the Vermilion Cliffs themselves. Other features within this 294,000-acre national monument include the Paria Plateau, the Paria Canyon and the Coyote Buttes.
The Pipe Spring National Monument is located about 15 miles west of Fredonia in Arizona. American Indians, Mormon pioneers, plants, animals and others have all depended on the water found at Pipe Spring, says the National Park Service website. The presence of this spring explains why the Old Spanish Trail wound its way through the area now encompassed by the Pipe Spring National Monument.
The Navajo National Monument is another landmark just off the Armijo Route. According to the Old Spanish Trail Association website, this national monument preserves three intact cliff dwellings of the ancestral Puebloan people. The site is located in the far north of Arizona, not far from the small town of Kaibito. Guided tours can be arranged at the visitor center, and visitors can make use of two small campgrounds and a picnic area.
The Aztec Ruins National Monument was designated a World Heritage Site in 1987. The national monument was established to preserve ancestral pueblo archeological structures and artifacts dating from the 11th century. The site is located along a section of the Armijo Route in north-western New Mexico.
The North Branch of the Old Spanish Trail runs through Colorado, passing through the city of Grand Junction. Not far from Grand Junction lies the Colorado National Monument, an area of deep-cut canyons and abundant wildlife. Hiking and horseback riding are both popular ways to explore the area.
