Hike through history: 5 fascinating trails where heritage meets the path
Some trails are pure scenery. Others are stories you can walk into—where every bend in the path reveals how people moved through, lived in, and shaped these landscapes long before we arrived. If you’re craving a spring hike with a little extra meaning, these five routes deliver the kind of history you can feel under your boots.
From a trading post on the Santa Fe Trail to railroad grades built by grit and endurance, each hike below invites you to slow down, look closer, and let the landscape do the storytelling.
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site (Colorado)
Why it’s historic: Bent’s Old Fort was a vital cultural crossroads on the Santa Fe Trail—an 1800s trading post where commerce, diplomacy, and daily life converged.
The hike: Bent’s Old Fort offers a 1.75-mile looping trail system around the historic grounds, with opportunities for birdwatching and a walk beside the Arkansas River through cottonwoods and prairie grasses.
What you’ll notice: This Colorado park is a place to imagine arrivals—wagons, traders, and families—while spring breezes move through the same river corridor that has always made this landscape livable.
Chinese Arch Trail at Golden Spike (Utah)
Why it’s historic: Golden Spike is where the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed—an engineering feat that reshaped travel, trade, and the nation’s story.
The hike: Start with the Utah park’s Big Fill Loop Trail (1.5 miles round trip), which follows original railroad grade and showcases massive earthworks—cuts, fills, and stonework created with “simple tools, sweat, and endurance,” as the park describes it.
Then, if you’re exploring the broader area by road, pair it with a short walk to Chinese Arch, a scenic arch near Promontory/Howell that’s often visited as an add-on to Golden Spike’s railroad-grade explorations.
What you’ll notice: The land still bears the mark of human effort—where the terrain was reshaped to carry rails across a continent.
Fort to Sea Trail on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail (Oregon)
Why it’s historic: This route traces the final push to the Pacific—connecting the story of the Corps of Discovery to the coast they reached after months of hardship and wonder.
The hike: The National Park Service lists the Fort to Sea Trail as 6.5 miles one way, leading from the Fort Clatsop area toward the coast via the Kwis Kwis extensions/connectors.
What you’ll notice: This is a hike of changing ecosystems—forest edges, open stretches, coastal air—and a reminder that “arrival” is sometimes its own kind of expedition.
River Walk at San Antonio Missions (Texas)
Why it’s historic: San Antonio’s missions are living cultural landmarks—places where community, faith, and daily life shaped the river landscape for generations.
The hike: The San Antonio River Hike & Bike trail is a 12-mile journey, with each mission about 3 miles from the next. A popular segment is the walk to Mission Espada, with one commonly hiked route clocking in around 4.1 miles point-to-point.
What you’ll notice: Water, shade, and beautiful architecture—history here is woven into the everyday rhythm of the river.
Anza Trail: Tumacácori to Tubac (Arizona)
Why it’s historic: This segment follows the story of Juan Bautista de Anza and the route later recognized as the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail by Congress in 1990. The route connects the historic mission at Tumacácori to the Tubac Presidio. Both of these sites were in use when Anza passed through, and are preserved for visitors today. This route was used by Indigenous peoples long before the Spanish traveled it.
The hike: There’s a publicly accessible trail section between Tumacácori and Tubac described as about 4.5 miles one way, with no facilities or potable water along the trail—plan accordingly.
What you’ll notice: A quieter kind of history—riparian shade, open sky, and the sense of moving through a corridor that has guided travelers for centuries.
Hike thoughtfully, keep the story and the landscape intact
On historic trails, the “leave no trace” ethic matters even more: stay on trail, don’t touch or remove artifacts, and treat cultural sites with care. Bring extra water, start early, and let spring set the pace—because the best history hikes aren’t rushed.
Want to experience even more national park trails that feature history? Check out our curated list below.
