El Camino Real de los Tejas (The King's Highway) was designated as a National Historic Trail in 2004 by the United States Congress. From its starting point in Louisiana, this royal road spans the broad expanse of Texas and is paved with the history of the brave men, women and children who traveled it as they pushed the frontiers of Texas to new limits. El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail consists of several major routes, including El Camino Real de los Tejas (the 1691 trail), the Lower Road, the Old San Antonio Road (beginning in 1820) and the Laredo Road.
The trail is a combination of routes totaling almost 2,600 miles from the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass and Laredo to Natchitoches, Louisiana. It also served as a path for such Texas heroes as Davy Crockett and Sam Houston, who fought in the struggle for Texas independence from Mexico. You are invited to travel this national landmark, visit historic spots along the way and revel in the exciting story of the people who traveled these roads and who gave life to this important slice of our great history as a nation.