El Camino Real

“El Camino Real,” or The Royal Highway, is the 600-mile California Mission Trail. The highway was established by the first two Spanish exploratory expeditions of the region, being the Portola expedition of 1769 and the Juan Bautista de Anza expedition of 1775. El Camino Real came by present day downtown Los Angeles to connect Mission San Gabriel Arcángel to the other 20 Alta California’s missions. The highway is still being used today, as parts of the 600-mile trail have become paved highways.

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