Colorado River State Historic Park to Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park (Blog Hike #999)

Trails: Riverfront Trail, Nature Trail, et. al.
Hike Location: Colorado River State Historic Park and Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park
Geographic Location: downtown Yuma, AZ (32.72719, -114.62333)
Length: 2.9 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: February 2024
Overview: An out-and-back connecting two historic sites in downtown Yuma.
Park Information, Army Depot: https://azstateparks.com/colorado-river

Park Information, Territorial Prison: https://azstateparks.com/yuma-territorial
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=956431
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming April 11, 2025)

Directions to the trailhead: On the Arizona/California state line, take I-8 to 4th Avenue (California exit 172).  Exit and go south on 4th Ave.  Drive 4th Ave. south, and turn left to enter Colorado River State Historic Park immediately after crossing the Colorado River.  This hike begins at Colorado River State Historic Park.

The hike: With a union entry date of February 14, 1912, Arizona is the youngest of the United States' contiguous 48 states.  The northern three-fourths of Arizona's land was ceded to the United States by Mexico in 1848 at the end of the Mexican-American War, while the southern portion was acquired in 1853 via the Gadsden Purchase.  The land was formally organized as the Arizona Territory in 1863, and those boundaries more or less correspond to the State of Arizona today.

            Located in extreme southwest Arizona, the City of Yuma is one of the best places to go if you want a glimpse into Arizona's territorial days.  The city is located at the old Yuma Crossing, which is one of the few naturally fordable points on the lower Colorado River.  Two state historic parks are located in downtown Yuma: Colorado River State Historic Park, which protects an old army quartermaster depot, and Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park, which protects the old Arizona Territory prison.  A bike trail goes along the Colorado River between the two parks, so you can see them both in one fairly easy hike, namely the one described here.  Note that Arizona State Parks do not allow same-day use and do charge for pedestrian access, so you will need to pay park entrance fees at both parks.

Army depot storehouse

Army depot officer's quarters

            Start with a tour of the old army depot, which was active from 1865 until 1883.  If you follow the self-guided tour's route, your first stop will be the old storehouse, a large building that looks like some old fieldhouses/gymnasiums I have seen in the Midwest.  The building is filled with period items and many interpretive signs that describe life in Yuma in the late 1800's.  Next comes the Office of the Depot Quartermaster, a smaller house-like building that contains some exhibits about military life.  Stops at the officer's quarters and (much newer) corral house complete your tour.

Hiking the bike path

            To begin your journey to the Yuma Territorial Prison, walk back out through the Visitor Center, cross the parking lot, then turn right twice to begin heading east on an asphalt bike path with the Colorado River on your left and the old army depot you just toured on your right.  The self-guided tour map calls this trail the Riverfront trail/Bike path, but it is unsigned on the ground.  The asphalt trail winds through Gateway Park, a long narrow greenway along the Colorado River, as it passes first under the concrete I-10 bridge and then under the older but more aesthetically pleasing Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge.  Nice views upstream along the river emerge even with all of the development.

Colorado River in downtown Yuma

            1.25 miles into the hike (including the army depot walking tour), you reach the dirt trail that leads to the Yuma Territorial Prison.  Turn right to leave the asphalt and begin a short but occasionally steep climb that winds around the prison cemetery and ends at the Yuma Territorial Prison's parking lot.  Walk across the parking lot and through the admission building to enter the prison.

Hiking up to the prison

            Like the old army depot, the old prison offers a self-guided walking tour.  The tour starts with a viewpoint of the bridges you just walked under, but the first main point of interest is the old guard tower.  Climbing the two flights of steps yields fantastic views across the desert to the east and over the prison to the southwest.

View east from guard tower

Prison cell block

            Next enter the prison itself by passing through the sally port and museum.  This prison is every bit as foreboding as you would expect, especially the dark cell used for solitary confinement.  This prison would be a truly miserable place to be in the hot desert summer.  After touring the prison, walk back to the old army depot on the bike path to complete the hike.  On your way back, be sure to take the short dirt Nature Trail that goes between the bike path and the river near the old prison.  This trail passes through a pleasantly wooded area, and it lets you experience the riverside in a more natural setting compared to the rest of the hike.

Cabrillo National Monument: Bayside Trail (Blog Hike #998)

Trail: Bayside Trail
Hike Location: Cabrillo National Monument
Geographic Location: west of San Diego, CA (32.67349, -117.2405)
Length: 2.5 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2024
Overview: An out-and-back with great views of San Diego and interesting history.
Monument Information: https://www.nps.gov/cabr/index.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=956373
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming January 31, 2025)

Directions to the trailhead: From the west end of I-8, take Nimitz Boulevard south 0.8 miles to Catalina Boulevard.  Exit and turn right on Catalina Blvd.  Drive Catalina Blvd. south 5 miles to where it dead-ends at the entrance to Cabrillo National Monument.  Pay the entrance fee, and park in the main parking lot near the Visitor Center.

The hike: The year was 1542 when Iberian explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo became the first European to land on what is today the United States' west coast.  Cabrillo set sail on June 27 from Navidad, New Spain in present-day Mexico, heading north along the Pacific coast with 3 ships.  He landed on the shore of today's San Diego Bay on September 28 before heading further north.

            Though the descriptions of his northern-most point are vague, most people think he reached at least the Russian River in northern California and maybe even the Columbia River in Oregon before being forced to turn back due to bad winter weather.  Interestingly, he completely missed famous San Francisco Bay, an error European mariners would continue to make until 1769.  Cabrillo's 1542 journey up the west coast would be his last: he died on January 5, 1543 due to infection from a broken shin.

            Today the place Cabrillo first set foot in what would become the United States is protected as Cabrillo National Monument.  The monument started as a 0.5 acre reservation in 1913, but today it consists of 143 acres at the southern tip of Point Loma, the peninsula of land that separates San Diego Bay from the Pacific Ocean.  The monument is quite popular due to its proximity to San Diego and nearby naval bases, and it receives over 700,000 visitors in a normal year.

            The monument is open for day-use only, but it features an excellent museum with several films about Cabrillo, a lighthouse that dates to 1855, some interesting World War II history, and 2 hiking trails.  The trails are aptly named: the Coastal Trail explores the west side of the peninsula facing the Pacific Ocean, while the Bayside Trail explores the east side of the peninsula facing San Diego Bay.  Both trails are interesting, but there is no connecting trail that would allow you to explore both trails in one hike.  This hike features the Bayside Trail, which is the longer of the two trails.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo statue

            From the front of the Visitor Center, walk back to the parking lot and turn left to reach a famous statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.  Commissioned in 1939 by the Portuguese government, the handsome sandstone statue occupies a scenic spot with San Diego Bay and the San Diego skyline in the background.  Next walk out the south side of the parking lot following a paved road that is closed to vehicles.  Climb slightly to reach Old Point Loma Lighthouse at 0.3 miles.  Built in 1855, this lighthouse seems to occupy the highest ground in the Monument, and it adds a nice historical element to this hike.

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

            After visiting the lighthouse, continue to follow the asphalt road as it winds and descends.  You can actually see our eventual destination, the lower end of the Bayside Trail, if you look downhill to the left.  Just past 0.6 miles, you reach the signed upper end of the dirt/gravel Bayside Trail.  Turn left to leave the pavement and begin a moderate descent on the Bayside Trail.

Descending on the Bayside Trail

            One of the great things about the Bayside Trail is that San Diego Bay stays in full view for the trail's entire length.  The numerous naval bases in this area ensure a steady flow of naval planes, helicopters, and ships entering and leaving the area; you will get to see all of that traffic on this hike.  During my hike, I watched what looked like a destroyer enter the bay...and numerous other smaller yachts and boats scrambling to get out of its way!

Navy ship entering San Diego Bay

World War II spotlight shed

            At 0.85 miles, the grade lessens as you begin heading in and out of 2 small ravines.  The nice bay views with San Diego across the bay continue, but some old World War II military structures on the land also attract your attention.  What looks like a railroad tunnel with a lid on it is actually an old spotlight storage shed: the spotlight was wheeled out at night to scout for invading ships and planes.  Interpretive signs give information about this area's military history, and they also tell about the hardy shrubs that inhabit this treeless hillside.

San Diego Bay

            At 1.3 miles, you reach the viewpoint at the lowest elevation on this hike.  This viewpoint is kind of anticlimactic: it gives the same fantastic view across San Diego Bay you have enjoyed the whole way down.  The Bayside Trail ends here, so your only option is to retrace your steps back uphill to the parking lot to complete the hike.  If you want to do more hiking, check out the Coastal Trail, which offers equally impressive views but from the other (ocean) side of the peninsula.