Hiking and Cycling the California Missions Trail; Expert advice from guidebook author Sandy Brown

The 800 mile (1289km) California Missions Trail between San Francisco Bay and San Diego takes in 21 historic Spanish missions and can be completed in 50-60 walking days or 2-3 weeks cycling. Highlights of the route include the 21 California missions, historic landmarks along this epic adventure that crosses the Golden Gate Bridge, traverses coastal mountain ranges, hugs the Pacific coast through charming beach towns like Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara and Carlsbad, and crosses vast farmlands in the Salinas Valley, the 'Salad Bowl of America'.

The guidebook includes all the key information and maps needed to complete the trail from Mission Sonoma to Mission San Diego. Follow the journey of 18th-century Spanish missionaries as they created 21 missions to convert the native inhabitants to Christianity. Included is a sensitive recount of the history of the missions, highlighting the story and monuments of the Native Americans who formed the foundation of the landscape, rather than the Spanish and Franciscan priests.

About our guests

Sandy Brown is Cicerone’s Assoc Publisher for Caminos and Pilgrimages. He has walked or biked over 10,000km of pilgrim trails in Europe and the US. Sandy is the author of Cicerone's guidebook to the Camino de Santiago: Camino Francés, a route he has walked or biked four times since 2008. He is also the author of Cicerone's guide to the Way of St Francis and Cicerone's new and upcoming guidebooks to the Via Francigena, and records his pilgrim adventures in his popular blog, www.caminoist.org. Sandy has recently walked and cycled the California Missions Trail so has plenty to say about the 814-mile trail.