What to Expect: La Purisima Mission is home to 25 miles of hiking trails spread over 2,000 acres. A popular walk along the Las Zanjas trail curves around the agricultural fields to a cistern where the water from the nearby spring was used to irrigate the Mission’s crops. At the 2-mile point, the trail connects with the historic El Camino Real allowing visitors to loop back to explore the Mission church, living quarters, administration buildings, workshops, and the farm.
Description: La Purisima is the most fully restored mission, with over 20 buildings. There are plenty of interpretive signs and furnishings to make for a leisurely self-guided tour. Throughout the year, the park also offers various events and craft demonstrations with costumed docents recreating the daily life of the early 1800s at the Mission.
Trailhead: 2295 Purisima Rd, Lompoc, CA 93436
Directions: To reach the mission from the north or the south, take Highway 101 to Buellton. Take Exit 140A for Buellton / Solvang and head west. Proceed west on HWY 246 for about 18 miles. After the golf course, turn on to Purisima Road and travel approximately 1 mile to the Mission entrance on the right.
- Difficulty Rating: Easy
- Distance: 2.0 miles out and back
- Grade Change: Less than 5%
- Trail Layout: Loop
- Surface: Dirt and sand
- Average Width: 8 to 10 feet
- Shade: Very little
- Obstacles: Uneven terrain
- Accessibility: Not rated
- Restrictions: Dogs on leash
- Emergency: Call 911
Special thanks to Wildling Museum of Art and Nature for creating Art from the Trails, a juried invitational exhibition, showcasing trail systems in Santa Barbara County. The exhibit is ongoing through October 3, 2021.