About Us
A pilgrimage from Mission San Rafael Arcángel to Mission Dolores in San Francisco, inspired by St. Francis of Assisi and the historic mission trails of California.
Mission
Camino de San Francisco is a pilgrimage from Mission San Rafael Arcángel to Mission San Francisco de Asís, honoring St. Francis of Assisi, name sake of San Francisco. Inspired by the historic mission trails, it invites all to walk in the Franciscan path of reflection, simplicity, and community fostering renewal, kinship, and sanctity in our world through the experience of encounter.
The Camino de San Francisco is a collaborative effort between the Archdiocese of San Francisco, The National Shrine of St. Francis, and The Capuchin Franciscans of Western America.
“The road becomes holy when walked with intention. Every mile carries a story; every pause becomes a prayer. What begins as a simple path between two missions awakens in us the longing to seek, to discover, and to walk ever more closely with the One who guides us.”
Caminos
The Camino de San Francisco is modeled off of the Camino de Sanitago, a series of pilgrimage routes developed around the 9th Century to the tomb of St. James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Although pilgrimage declined during the Protestant Reformation, the Camino de Santiago experienced a revival beginning in the 1970s, thanks in part to Father Elias Valiña.With the revitalization of pilgrimage routes across mainland Europe, other ancient paths in Great Britain and Ireland were also restored.
To qualify for a Compostela, pilgrims needed to walk at least 100 km; routes in other countries, such as from A Coruña to Santiago, were developed for this purpose, as the original route only covers 75 km (46.76 miles). In the United States, caminos were established in St. Augustine, Florida, and San Antonio, Texas, as part of a movement to create the Camino of the Americas, stretching from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida.
“The road becomes holy when walked with intention. Every mile carries a story; every pause becomes a prayer. What begins as a simple path between two missions awakens in us the longing to seek, to discover, and to walk ever more closely with the One who guides us.”
California Missions and Pilgrimage Routes
In the 18th century, led by St. Junípero Serra, Spanish Franciscans established 21 missions along California’s coast, an area that would later become the state of California. The first mission, Mission San Diego de Alcalá, was established in 1769, and the last, Mission San Francisco Solano, in 1823. The missions were secularized by Mexico in 1833 and subsequently fell into disrepair. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, after California became a state, a revival movement renewed interest in these historic sites. Today, eighteen missions serve as active Catholic parishes, while Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad hosts a monthly Mass, and Mission La Purísima Concepción in Lompoc and Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma function as state parks
To promote and develop infrastructure along the California Missions pilgrimage route, a group of volunteers in the early 2000s created a route modeled after the Camino in Spain. In 2011, Ron “Butch” Briery embarked on a journey to walk the California missions, culminating in the publication of a guidebook in 2012 to provide information about the route. This effort led to the founding of the California Mission Walkers in 2013, an organization dedicated to promoting the pilgrimage.
Since then, several pilgrimage routes and experiences have been developed around the California Missions. The Camino Serra is an annual pilgrimage that covers 86 miles over eight days, walking between Mission Santa Clara and Mission San Carlos Borroméo in Carmel. Another yearly pilgrimage is the St. Junípero Serra Walk, a two-day, 35-mile journey between Mission Santa Bárbara and Mission San Buenaventura in Ventura. The Camino de Sonoma is a 75-mile route connecting Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma with the Russian Orthodox Chapel at Fort Ross.
Native American Presence
For several millennia, the San Francisco Bay Area served as home to a number of indigenous peoples. The Ohlone (also called Costanoans) people lived along the San Francisco Peninsula, the Eastern side of the San Francisco Bay and the area around the Monterey Peninsula. The Coast Miwok resided in areas north of San Francisco, in what is now Marin County and in the southern part of Sonoma County.
Spanish Franciscans, led by St. Junipero Serra, developed the mission system to bring native populations into the mission complex where their hunter-gathering ways would be changed to more farming, where also the people would be brought into the Faith through the sacraments, and be protected from Spanish imperial influence.
The attempts by the Spanish Franciscans to evangelize the local population led to mixed results. Close living conditions and disease outbreaks caused much of the indigenous population to decline. However, many indigenous people took up Faith, including Chief Marin (Huicmuse), namesake of the county, who was a Coast Miwok Indian who became an official witness at baptisms and weddings at Mission Dolores and Mission San Rafael Arcangel.
The Route
Rooted in California’s mission history, this 24.5-mile route follows the path connecting Mission San Rafael Arcángel and Mission Dolores in San Francisco. As you walk, you enter a living tradition of pilgrimage—one where nature, history, and prayer come together to shape a meaningful encounter with God.
Section 1
Mission San Rafael to Manzanita (approx. 9.2 miles)
Section 2
St. Patrick Larkspur to Manzanita (approx. 7.6 miles)
Section 3
Manzanita to Golden Gate Bridge (approx. 6.0 miles)
Section 4
Golden Gate Bridge to Mission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores) via National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi and The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption (approx. 8.5 miles)