El Camino Real (California)

El Camino Real (California)

El Camino Real is a special road in California. It stretches about 600 miles from near the Mexico border all the way north to Sonoma. This road connects 21 important places called missions built a long time ago by Spanish people.

The road is named “The Royal Road” or “The King’s Highway.” It reminds us of older paths used by people in New Spain. In the early 1900s, people wanted to remember the old missions, so they added special bells along the road. These bells are symbols of the road’s history.

Today, many streets in California still carry the name El Camino Real. Some of these streets follow parts of the old route. You can see old road parts near Mission San Juan Bautista and San Miguel. The road passes through many cities and counties, and some parts are now modern highways.

El Camino Real is a California Historical Landmark number 784. Two special signs along the road tell its history. One is near Mission San Diego de Alcalá in San Diego, and the other is near Mission San Francisco de Asís in San Francisco. These signs help people learn about the road’s past.