Tumacácori National Historical Park · Arizona

Juan Baptista De Anza National Historic Trail

6.5 mi of trail, end to end · about 100 ft of climbing · 3,169 ft–3,265 ft · native surface · hiking

Bridges

3,205 ft 3,234 ft · 4.8 mi high 3,238 ft

Along the way Anza Trail Bridge W Bank

Trailhead Anza Trailhead 3,264 ft Drive there

Hike the Anza Trail from Tumacácori to Tubac, AZ the Park Service's write-up

2-6 Hours · dogs allowed · Winter, Spring, Fall · season Summer is best avoided due to extreme heat and possible flash flooding of the Santa Cruz River.

Start Anza Trailhead at Tumacácori National Historic Park

A hiker walks on a trail next to a narrow river, cottonwood trees in the distance
Cottonwoods and mesquite provide shade and excellent habitat for birds Photo: Burley Packwood / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Juan_Batista_de_Anza_Trail2.jpg

Hiking from Tumacácori National Historic Park to Tubac Presidio State Historic Park

Arizona

The segment of the Anza Trail between the Tumacácori National Historic Park and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, offers the visitor an opportunity to experience historic sites and a landscape similar to that experienced by the Anza party over two centuries ago.

The six-mile trail connecting the two parks follows the Santa Cruz River through a lush cottonwood-willow riparian forest and mesquite bosque. The river corridor supports a high diversity of plant and bird species within the arid Sonoran Desert region. Over 250 miles of the Anza Trail traverses the Sonoran Desert, including many miles along the Santa Cruz River through Santa Cruz and Pima counties.

This segment of the Anza Trail is maintained by volunteers from the Anza Trail Coalition of Arizona (ATCA), in partnership with private landowners and the National Park Service. The ATCA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation devoted to the establishment and interpretation of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail within Arizona.

For more information, visit the Anzatrail.org website.

Accessibility The trail varies from 6 feet wide to single track sections 1-2 feet wide. Trail surface is dirt with no regular grading or maintenance. The trail includes a number of water crossings, some across narrow wooden planks and other short crossings (~3 feet wide) with no bridge. Service animals are allowed on the trail and within the Tumacácori grounds.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 5 trails in Tumacácori National Historical ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.