With 25 miles of trails along the ancient
aqueduct system, La Purisima Mission State Historic Park in Lompoc, just 16
miles west of Buellton, is not only easy to access for horses trailers,
cyclists, runners and walkers, but offers its users an outdoor experience
saturated with history.
The weather pattern of the Burton Mesa, the
geographic name of the 1,800 acres where the mission is situated, lures outdoor
adventurists. The mesa, located in Los Berros Canyon, is a transitional zone of
north and south chaparral plant communities and is home to 27 rare plants.
Six trails have been assigned unique names.
Vista De La Cruz (Trailmark to the Landmark Cross) is one-third of a mile and
is a moderate uphill climb to the huge cross at the top, offering a hawk eye
view of the Lompoc Valley and Tranquillion Peak in the distance. El Noque (the Tanning Vat) leads to the
mission’s hide-tanning vats and is a moderate, flat, one-quarter mile hike.
Arca de Agua (reservoir) leads through wetland to chaparral plant communities
and is a little more than half a mile in length.
Las Zanjas (The Ditches) is 1.4 miles and
follows the park’s aqueduct, eventually joining up with the El Camino Real, The
Royal Highway, which is the original trail between the mission and presidios of
early California. Las Zanjas and El Camino Real form the lower section of the
intertwining trails, popular among horseback riders and runners, as well as
Cuclillo De Tierra (Roadrunner), which is 2.71 miles and forms the park’s
service road and the upper loop trail.
Historic travelers on their way between
Mission Santa Inés and Mission San Luis Obispo used the Royal Highway, stopping
off at La Purisima as a half-way point on their journey.
Mission La Purisima Concepcion de Maria
Santisima was founded on Dec. 8, 1787 and was the 11th of the 21 Alta
California missions. The mission site was relocated to its present site when
the great earthquake of 1812 destroyed the original structure in Lompoc.
Several sections of the original adobe walls may be seen off of Locust and
South F streets. The California Conservation Corps was rallied to restore the
decaying La Purisima in 1934.
The trails along the aqueduct highlight the
mission’s advanced water system. According to the park, water flowed through
the aqueduct and pumped into the cisterns, then was filtered through sand
before flowing into underground pipes that filled the mission’s fountains for
daily use.
“In the future, we’d like to offer tours along
the hiking trails highlighting the native flora and fauna,” said Theresa Armis,
supervising ranger.
A historic walking tour guide through the
mission is $1 and includes a map of the trail system. Park admission is $8 per
vehicle. Living history is big at La Purisima. The docents, Prelado de los
Tesoros (Keepers of the Treasures), which is comprised of more than 100
docents, enjoy playing their parts by baking bread, showing how soap was made
and blacksmithing demonstrations, to name a few. Purisima People Days are held
six times a year with costumed reenactments of life at La Purisima. Guided
tours with a park ranger are offered daily at 1 p.m. or a self-guided tour
gives the park user a good background of what life was like in the 1820s at La
Purisima with informational plaques providing plant identification as well as
their historical use by the padres and Chumash Indians who called La Purisima
home.
Reach Wendy Thompson at wendy@syvjournal.com.