A white canvas wagon sits in front of a large rock buttress with mountains in the distance.
Wagon at Register Rock in City of Rocks National Reserve NPS Photo

California National Historic Trail

Federal Recreation Area · California · National Park Service

Follow in the footsteps of over 250,000 emigrants who traveled to the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840s and 1850s: the greatest mass migration in American history. The California National Historic Trail is over 5,000 miles long and covers portions of 10 states. Step into history along more than 1,000 miles of ruts and traces from travelers and their overland wagons.

Plan your visit

Know before you go

Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

What's here

Highlights: African American Heritage · Archeology · Arts · Photography · Poetry and Literature · Burial, Cemetery and Gravesite · Colonization and Settlement · Explorers and Expeditions · Forts · Monuments and Memorials · Native American Heritage · Wars and Conflicts · Westward Expansion · The Gold Rush · Rock Landscapes and Features · Trails

Activities & features: Auto and ATV · Scenic Driving · Guided Tours · Self-Guided Tours - Auto · Hiking · Horse Trekking · Horseback Riding · Junior Ranger Program · Museum Exhibits

Photos

  • A still creek winds through brown rolling hills.
    NPS Photo
  • A dirt road passes through sagebrush and a white post with a mountain in the background.
    NPS Photo
  • A rock buttress with a notch in it surrounded by sagebrush flats.
    NPS Photo
  • Pine trees partly obscure a distant mountain lake with snow-capped mountains.
    NPS Photo

Nearby parks

Parks of California

John Little State Natural ReserveCarmel River State BeachEl Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic ParkHendy Woods State ParkEmma Wood State BeachRio de Los Angeles State Park State Recreation AreaRobert Louis Stevenson State ParkCastle Crags State ParkMuir Woods National MonumentManchester State ParkBurton Creek State ParkColusa-Sacramento River State Recreation AreaMacKerricher State ParkMount Diablo State ParkSutter Buttes State ParkBig Basin Redwoods State ParkSan Buenaventura State BeachHenry W. Coe State ParkLeucadia State BeachLos Osos Oaks State Natural ReserveBethany Reservoir State Recreation AreaJulia Pfeiffer Burns State ParkZmudowski State BeachTahoe State Recreation AreaWashoe Meadows State ParkNavarro River Redwoods State ParkStandish-Hickey State Recreation AreaLos Angeles State Historic ParkSonoma Coast State ParkLittle River State BeachEstero Bluffs State ParkMalibu Creek State ParkWassama Round House State Historic ParkDeath Valley National ParkKenneth Hahn State Recreation AreaBodie State Historic ParkLake Del Valle State Recreation AreaOld Town San Diego State Historic ParkFort Ord Dunes State ParkSalinas River State BeachBidwell-Sacramento River State ParkGolden Gate National Recreation AreaSalton Sea State Recreation AreaAnza-Borrego Desert State ParkCandlestick Point State Recreation AreaSaddleback Butte State ParkHollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation AreaBenicia Capitol State Historic ParkGreat Valley Grasslands State ParkLava Beds National MonumentHumboldt Redwoods State ParkCaspar Headlands State Natural ReserveGarrapata State ParkPacifica State BeachSanta Susana Pass State Historic ParkHearst San Simeon State ParkWildwood Canyon State ParkGray Whale Cove State BeachPelican State BeachCorona del Mar State BeachWoodson Bridge State Recreation AreaMontara State BeachWhiskeytown National Recreation AreaMonterey State Historic ParkAntelope Valley California Poppy Reserve State Natural ReservePicacho State Recreation AreaBidwell Mansion State Historic ParkAsilomar State BeachSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaRussian Gulch State ParkSequoia & Kings Canyon National ParksBenbow State Recreation AreaAndrew Molera State ParkHalf Moon Bay State BeachPlumas-Eureka State ParkLake Valley State Recreation AreaCastle Mountains National MonumentBenicia State Recreation AreaCarlsbad State BeachJoshua Tree National ParkSugarloaf Ridge State ParkTorrey Pines State Natural ReserveJohn B. Dewitt Redwoods State Natural ReserveWilliam B. Ide Adobe State Historic ParkAntelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic ParkCabrillo National MonumentPlacerita Canyon State ParkFremont Peak State ParkRosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical ParkTrione-Annadel State ParkSue-meg State ParkFolsom Powerhouse State Historic ParkOlompali State Historic ParkSutter's Fort State Historic ParkPoint Sal State BeachPinnacles National ParkLa Purísima Mission State Historic ParkSanta Cruz Mission State Historic ParkSanta Monica State BeachPony Express National Historic TrailBorder Field State ParkMorro Strand State BeachBale Grist Mill State Historic ParkMorro Bay State ParkSilverwood Lake State Recreation AreaCardiff State BeachMarconi Conference Center State Historic ParkMono Lake Tufa State Natural ReserveMalakoff Diggins State Historic ParkDonner Memorial State ParkProvidence Mountains State Recreation AreaPigeon Point Light Station State Historic ParkCésar E. Chávez National MonumentWill Rogers State Historic ParkCaswell Memorial State ParkAuburn State Recreation AreaSan Juan Bautista State Historic ParkMojave National PreserveTomales Bay State ParkPoint Sur State Historic ParkDockweiler State BeachSan Elijo State BeachHeber Dunes State Vehicular Recreation AreaEl Capitán State BeachPalomar Mountain State ParkTorrey Pines State BeachFort Tejon State Historic ParkFolsom Lake State Recreation AreaVan Damme State ParkDel Norte Coast Redwoods State ParkPomponio State BeachAhjumawi Lava Springs State ParkMailliard Redwoods State Natural ReserveSan Luis Reservoir State Recreation AreaD. L. Bliss State ParkPoint Mugu State ParkLighthouse Field State BeachTurlock Lake State Recreation AreaRichardson Grove State ParkWill Rogers State BeachTolowa Dunes State ParkLeo Carrillo State ParkState Indian Museum State Historic ParkPoint Cabrillo Light Station State Historic ParkHumboldt Lagoons State ParkCastle Rock State ParkCuyamaca Rancho State ParkRedwood National and State ParksMarina State BeachSan Francisco Maritime National Historical ParkPoint Reyes National SeashoreIshxenta State ParkTopanga State ParkGrover Hot Springs State ParkPoint Dume State BeachJug Handle State Natural ReserveSchooner Gulch State BeachHungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation AreaAnderson Marsh State Historic ParkEd Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State ParkOnyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation AreaCaspar Headlands State BeachCrystal Cove State ParkHarmony Headlands State ParkMount Tamalpais State ParkPetaluma Adobe State Historic ParkPrairie Creek Redwoods State ParkSilver Strand State BeachFort Ross State Historic ParkCarpinteria State BeachMoss Landing State BeachOcotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation AreaPoint Lobos State Natural ReserveSonoma State Historic ParkThe Forest of Nisene Marks State ParkSan Gregorio State BeachAño Nuevo State ParkHearst San Simeon State Historical MonumentJohn Muir National Historic SiteSeacliff State BeachJack London State Historic ParkPrairie City State Vehicular Recreation AreaSouth Carlsbad State BeachGeorge J. Hatfield State Recreation AreaWeaverville Joss House State Historic ParkIndian Grinding Rock State Historic ParkAngel Island State ParkMount San Jacinto State ParkRailtown 1897 State Historic ParkBrannan Island State Recreation AreaRed Rock Canyon State ParkCayucos State BeachEmerald Bay State ParkLake Oroville State Recreation AreaMcGrath State BeachMarsh Creek State ParkGrizzly Creek Redwoods State ParkClay Pit State Vehicular Recreation AreaLake Perris State Recreation AreaManresa State BeachAlcatraz IslandWestport-Union Landing State BeachEmpire Mine State Historic ParkSan Bruno Mountain State ParkSalt Point State ParkTrinidad State BeachLeland Stanford Mansion State Historic ParkPío Pico State Historic ParkPortola Redwoods State ParkDoheny State BeachPacheco State ParkMonterey State BeachHenry Cowell Redwoods State ParkChino Hills State ParkMcArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State ParkNew Brighton State BeachTwin Lakes State BeachColonel Allensworth State Historic ParkYosemite National ParkLassen Volcanic National ParkBean Hollow State BeachFort Point National Historic SiteKings Beach State Recreation AreaSmithe Redwoods State Natural ReserveTule Lake National MonumentRefugio State BeachMendocino Headlands State ParkManzanar National Historic SiteSan Pasqual Battlefield State Historic ParkOceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation AreaFort Humboldt State Historic ParkMontaña de Oro State ParkChina Camp State ParkAustin Creek State Recreation AreaButano State ParkCalifornia Citrus State Historic ParkSan Onofre State BeachCalaveras Big Trees State ParkCarnegie State Vehicular Recreation AreaDevils Postpile National MonumentKruse Rhododendron State Natural ReserveMontgomery Woods State Natural ReserveHuntington State BeachChannel Islands National ParkPort Chicago Naval Magazine National MemorialBothe-Napa Valley State ParkChumash Painted Cave State Historic ParkNatural Bridges State BeachTule Elk State Natural ReserveWilder Ranch State ParkMcConnell State Recreation AreaMarshall Gold Discovery State Historic ParkShasta State Historic ParkSinkyone Wilderness State ParkArmstrong Redwoods State Natural ReservePresidio of San FranciscoPescadero State BeachMoonlight State BeachColumbia State Historic ParkLimekiln State ParkBolsa Chica State BeachClear Lake State ParkSunset State BeachSouth Yuba River State ParkSamuel P. Taylor State ParkMillerton Lake State Recreation AreaSan Clemente State BeachGaviota State ParkPismo State BeachRobert W. Crown Memorial State BeachArthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State ParkAzalea State Natural ReserveEugene O'Neill National Historic SiteJedediah Smith Redwoods State ParkRobert H. Meyer Memorial State BeachGreenwood State BeachMendocino Woodlands State ParkPfeiffer Big Sur State ParkMalibu Lagoon State Beach

280 parks mapped in California

You're looking at California National Historic Trail — the gold marker.

Every dot is a park. Tap one to jump to it.

Browse all California parks →

Sources: National Park Service · updated 2026-08-12