Take a Walk Through History
Enjoy San Juan Bautista’s rich California heritage at the perfect pace, one step at a time on this self-guided walking trail of historically significant sites. Home to California’s largest Spanish era mission, nationally recognized State Historic Park and Downtown National Historic District, as you walk through San Juan Bautista you will gain an appreciation of California’s people, from Native Americans to the Spanish and Mexican influences, to the early American period of the 19th century.
Forty-nine historic and fascinating sites lie along San Juan Bautista’s two-mile historic walking trail, affording residents and visitors with a unique chance to experience one of the most historic destinations in the state. Click HERE for a downloadable version of the walking trail map. A full walking trail brochure is available at the Welcome Center, 319 3rd Street.
Your adventure begins at our name-sake, Mission San Juan Bautista, whose vast central plaza is surrounded by the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park. It then leads you through our downtown to visit adobes, stone, wooden and western false front early California structures, and then in the outlying areas of the city, to notable historic homes and sites of importance to our rich cultural history, each with its own captivating story.
Click on an image in the photo gallery below to learn more about each of the walking trail sites.
