There are 21 California Spanish Missions that reach from San Diego to north of San Francisco, 

each with a unique story to tell. These missions represent the first contact the California Native 

Americans had with Europeans and are a living history of the struggles and triumphs that each 

culture experienced hundreds of years ago. The missions were all established as churches and 

some are still active with mass held regularly since their founding. Others have become part of the 

California State Park system. The buildings started as humble rooms and grew to the stately adobe 

structures that are still standing today. They were started by the Franciscan order with the first one 

in 1769 and the last in 1833. The El Camino Real, or The Royal Road, still links the missions from 

San Diego to Sonoma, although it follows modern highways today. Each mission has a fascinating 

founding story that is steeped in history and the politics of Spain at the particular time that they were 

built. Some of the most interesting ones to visit today are:

California is a state full of amazing sites, natural wonders and history, so it's actually pretty difficult 

to decide what you do when you get there, or even if you live there. Today though, I thought I would 

ignore the more commercial attractions and look at the historic natural and man-made attractions 

that are nearby.


Redwood National Park

3 hours north of San Luis Obispo is the Redwood National park. This park is full of trees (of course) as well