New Mexico

Monuments: Aztec Ruins National Monument, Bandelier National Monument, Capulin Volcano National Monument, Coronado State Monument, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, El Malpais National Monument, El Morro National Monument, Fort Selden State Monument, Fort Union National Monument, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Jemez State Monument, Lincoln State Monument, Old Spanish National Historic Trail, Petroglyph National Monument, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, Santa Fe National Historic Trail, White Sands National Monument

Santa Fe National Historic Trail

The Santa Fe Trail was a historic 19th century transportation route across southwestern North America connecting Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. First used in 1821 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880. At first an international trade route between the United States and Mexico, it served as the 1846 U.S. invasion route of New Mexico during the Mexican-American War. After the U.S. acquisition of the Southwest, the trail helped open the region to U.S. economic development and settlement, playing a vital role in the expansion of the U.S. into the lands it had acquired. The road route is commemorated today by the National Park Service as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. A highway route that roughly follows the trail's path through Colorado and northern New Mexico has been designated the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway.

National Trails System-Santa Fe
PO Box 728
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504-0728
Phone: (505) 988-6888
www.nps.gov/safe/

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