Spiritual Journey - 21 California Missions

Mission Plaza at San Luis

In June of 2021, I embarked on a spiritual journey to visit the California missions. There are 21 missions along the historic El Camino Real, or the Royal Road, stretching from San Diego to Sonoma in Northern California. You can visit all of them in one to two weeks.

I began my trip by driving to San Diego and visiting the first mission, Mission San Diego de Alcalá, which was the very first mission established in 1769. On the eighth day of my journey, I visited the last mission, Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, which was the final mission built in 1823.

Carmel Mission Basilica

The 21 California missions were founded between 1769 and 1823 by Spanish Franciscan priests led by Father Junípero Serra, who established the first nine missions. They were built about a day's horseback ride apart along the El Camino Real. I decided to visit these missions as a spiritual journey, visiting around three a day and driving about 200 to 300 miles daily. Some nights I stayed in older motels, reminiscent of the nostalgic Schitt's Creek motels, although I preferred not to stay in motels solo due to the rooms being on the outside. For security purposes, I would ask for a room next to the front office.

Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad

Along the way, I stopped at various small museums to learn about the history of the missions. Each mission also had museums and chapels to visit, and some even had little farms and trails behind them. It was absolutely beautiful. I went during the summer in June 2021, and the weather was quite nice. I even stopped at a winery in Paso Robles for some wine tasting and visited hot springs there for a relaxing afternoon.

My favorite mission was Carmel Mission San Juan Bautista, which had beautiful gardens, flowers, and trees. The landscape was picturesque, and the grounds were well-maintained. Although I have always wanted to hike the 21 missions, I wasn't brave enough yet, so I decided to drive instead. A couple of missions were closed and gated, but I still took pictures and looked around the grounds to say I visited every single one.

Mission San Antonio de Padua

I am not one to buy many souvenirs, but if I see a piece of jewelry or something meaningful, I will purchase it. I also bought commemorative coins from most of the missions. Some of the missions did not have them in stock or didn’t sell them. At the end of my trip, I bought a long-sleeve T-shirt with a map of the 21 missions to commemorate my journey.

What an unforgettable adventure I experienced. I will be forever grateful for my time with myself to eat, pray, and learn.

Original Mission Bell