A top-10 list of places where paths lead to century-old buildings, and the past comes alive

When Californians think of state parks, most picture the natural treasures those parks preserve: ancient redwoods, dramatic mountains, warm sandy beaches from San Clemente to Refugio. Fewer travelers know that some parks also interpret California history. These State Historic Parks, as they’re called officially, offer great walks, as well as learning experiences for young and old. They beckon us from our state’s well-traveled highways to the remote byways where many are located.

Some historic parks consist of a single building in a remote locale; others include blocks of significant structures surrounded by cities such as Sonoma, Sacramento, Santa Barbara.

The best way to see them is on foot. From Old Town San Diego to the Old Custom House in Monterey, from the Santa Barbara Presidio to the Shasta County Courthouse, the walking is easy--a few blocks, a half-mile, a mile at most. And all are fascinating hikes into history.

Admission charges vary from park to park. Like their nature park cousins, some of our state’s 40 historic parks charge a $5 per vehicle entry fee. Others let you park your car free but charge a couple of dollars per person to visit a historic building or museum. Some parks charge for guided tours, some do not.

Here is my top-10 list of walks, from south to north. It’s admittedly subjective and, uncharacteristically for me, with history celebrated first and the walks themselves taking second place.

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, built around a central plaza, offers a six-block stroll through California history during the latter part of Mexican control, and later, during our early American days. Walkers can view La Casa de Bandini, built in 1829 as a hotel and stagecoach station and now a restaurant; La Casa de Estudillo, a mansion with a lovely courtyard--among the finest of the original adobe buildings; Casa de Altamirano, Old Town’s first frame building, restored as it was in 1868, when it housed the San Diego Union newspaper.

Other historic buildings include a schoolhouse and a stable with a carriage collection. Shoppers can explore specialty shops, while diners can select from several Mexican restaurants or an Italian or Greek eatery. Old Town San Diego is located near the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 8; 4002 Wallace St., San Diego, 92110; tel. (619) 220-5422.

El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park, located in downtown Santa Barbara on Canon Perdido Street a block east of the chief thoroughfare, State Street, preserves a part of the old military fortress built by the Spanish in 1782 to guard the central coast. A walking tour (pamphlet available from Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation) can visit El Cuartel, the old guardhouse and Santa Barbara’s oldest adobe. A must-see is the recently restored Presidio Chapel, a re-creation of the city’s first church. The Spanish artifacts on the altar and colorful wall paintings provide an interesting contrast to the building’s simple exterior.

Park headquarters, located in a historic adobe on Canon Perdido Street, displays artifacts found on the presidio. Several nearby adobes and historical buildings, as well as the beautiful Santa Barbara Courthouse and the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, entice the walker to further explore what is one of the West Coast’s most walkable cities; Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, P.O. Box 388, Santa Barbara, 93102; tel. (805) 965-0093.

Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument (Hearst Castle) offers four fabulous walking tours of the palatial estate of the late newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. More than 1 million visitors a year view the collection of world treasures on display in the 130-room home. Tour No. 1, recommended for first-time visitors, includes the major rooms of the mansion, swimming pools and gardens. Other tours, restricted to much smaller groups (12 to 15 people) cover the upper levels of the castle, the castle’s guest wing, gardens, pools, wine cellar and guest house. Tour tickets are $14 for adults; $8 for children 6 through 12. After the tour, enjoy a picnic at William R. Hearst Memorial State Beach on San Simeon Road, east of California 1. Nearby Sebastian General Store, established in 1873, sells food and snacks; P.O. Box 8, San Simeon, 94352, tel. for recorded information (805) 927-2000; tel. MISTIX for tour reservations (800) 444-4445.

Monterey State Historic Park beckons California history enthusiasts, architects and city strollers to spend a day walking Monterey’s “Path of History.” Guide maps and pamphlets are available at park headquarters next to the Old Custom House, the oldest government building on the Pacific Coast. The building now houses a collection of clothing, leather goods and china--items typical of what was imported through the port of Old Monterey. After Mexico obtained its independence from Spain in 1821, the Mexican flag flew over Monterey. It is this era and the early American era that followed that is emphasized by the park.

The Robert Louis Stevenson House, Pacific House (where there’s a museum of California history), California’s first theater (which is still in use), plus other old adobes are part of the park. A walking path leads a few blocks south to Fisherman’s Wharf and a few blocks north to Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Family hint: Most kids are lots more interested in watching barking sea lions near the wharf than, say, tracing the origins of Monterey-style architecture. Tour the historic park before visiting Monterey’s livelier attractions; Monterey State Historic Park, 20 Custom House Plaza, Monterey, 93940; tel. (408) 649-7118.

San Juan Bautista State Historic Park in central California preserves the original town plaza, the old Plaza Hotel and the Mexican-era home of leading citizen Jose Castro. The park is located in San Juan Bautista, a few miles off U.S. 101 between Salinas and Gilroy. During the last century, the town was an important stop on the stage route between Northern and Southern California. Drowsy but intriguing San Juan Bautista is well worth the short detour today--a nice rest stop for the Bay-bound traveler. Visit the well-preserved carriage and coach collection on display at the old stable. Further beckoning the walker is the modest Mission San Juan Bautista, founded in 1797 and now a parish church where Mass is still celebrated. Next to the church is a small history museum.

Inviting shops and restaurants adjacent to the park suggest further exploration. Those who really want to get off the beaten track will drive 11 miles out of town on San Juan Canyon Road and Fremont Peak State Park. A half-mile hike to the top of 3,169-foot Fremont Peak rewards the walker with a tremendous panorama of San Benito Valley, Monterey Bay and the rugged Santa Lucia Mountains of Big Sur; P.O. Box 1110, San Juan Bautista, 95045; tel. (408) 623-4881.

Sonoma State Historic Parks in downtown Sonoma, preserves Mission San Francisco Solano, last of the Franciscan missions built. The mission, founded in 1823, is now a museum. A self-guided walking tour (pick up a map at visitor’s center at the mission or at the barracks) winds through the streets surrounding the town’s central plaza and visits more than a dozen buildings constructed between 1823 and 1855.

The parks include the home of Mexican Gen. Mariano Vallejo on Third Street, the mission, the soldier’s barracks and the Casa Grande area (servants quarters for Vallejo).

In 1834, Vallejo arrived in Sonoma with instructions to secularize the mission and lay out a town. On the north side of the town plaza is the site of the general’s first home, Casa Grande. Vallejo’s home, his 1852 residence, is a half-mile from the plaza on Third Street. After admiring all that adobe architecture around Sonoma Plaza, you’re surprised to find that Vallejo’s home is built in New England-style. Vallejo’s storehouse is now a museum on the general, who after California became American territory, served as mayor of Sonoma and later as a state senator.

Sonoma’s shady, open, Mediterranean-style plaza is a good spot for picnics or relaxation. Near the plaza are numerous shops and restaurants; 20 E. Spain St., Sonoma, 95476; tel. (707) 938-1519.

Bodie State Historic Park, between Nevada and Yosemite National Park, preserves a one-time gold mining boom town during the 1870s-’80s. A park brochure details a lengthy 69-stop walking tour of Bodie, which has a remarkably diverse collection of buildings in various states of decrepitude.

Bodie is a step back in time; a curious, isolated world that at first glance appears to be far removed from the present. But there is also a perceptible sense of peace; a comfortable familiarity about a place that was once home to nearly 10,000 people.

Access to the abandoned town, southeast of the small town of Bridgeport, can be tricky. Only one of the roads leading in is paved and even that ends up as three miles of dirt and rock. But the rugged, time-consuming drive is quite fitting, considering the town’s rough-and-rowdy heritage.

Although the park is open year-round, once the winter snows hit, the roads are not plowed, leaving Bodie virtually inaccessible during the notoriously long and brutal winters. Intrepid souls still manage to get through--on mountain bikes, cross-country skis and four-wheel drives. Yet the vast majority of visitors to Bodie arrive during the summer.

The remote location, the ramshackle buildings, the cemetery at the edge of town--the entire place gives the appearance of a Hollywood film set. But there’s no fakery here. Part of Bodie’s appeal is the dignity with which it’s been allowed to age without insensitive restoration or commercialism. The old Miners’ Union Hall is today the park museum for Bodie, which is considered by many to be the best ghost town in the West; P.O. Box 515, Bridgeport, 93517; tel. (619) 647-6445.

Columbia State Historic Park, on California 49 north of Sonora, southeast of Sacramento, offers an excellent self-guided walk through one of the best preserved of California’s gold rush towns.

When gold was discovered here in 1850, the hamlet of Hildreth’s Diggins mushroomed into the metropolis of Columbia (population 6,000), making it, for a short time, the second-largest city in California. Columbia boomed for 20 years as more than a billion dollars in gold was mined from the surrounding Sierra foothills.

A 12-block, self-guided tour explores what is now a booming tourist town, complete with blacksmith shop, hotel, bakery, theater, shops, restaurants and saloons. Visitors can ride a stagecoach or pan for gold. A mile-long nature trail introduces visitors to Western Sierra flora; P.O. Box 151, Columbia, 95310; tel. (209) 532-0150.

Old Sacramento State Historic Park offers a wonderful self-guided walking tour, which begins at the visitor center on Front Street (pick up a map there). Stroll along the balcony-covered boardwalk and relive the early days of California’s state capital while simultaneously enjoying the shops and restaurants in the historic buildings.

The Big Four Building (an operating replica of the 1880s hardware store that once stood there), the building that was the western terminus of the Pony Express in 1860 and the first meeting place of the California Supreme Court are among the landmarks along the tour.

Another highlight is the California State Railroad Museum, the largest interpreted railroad museum in North America. You’ll view some lovingly restored steam engines, including the 1863 C.P. Huntington, as well as a variety of other rolling stock in impressive settings. More cars and locomotives are on display at a restored 1867 freight depot a block from the museum.

Old Sacramento State Historic Park is easy to find via an Interstate 5 exit and a well-signed route along the city’s one-way streets; 101 J St., Sacramento, 95814; tel. (916) 445-7387.

Shasta State Historic Park, in the Klamath Mountains of northwest California, preserves the business district of Shasta, known in the 1850s as the capital of our state’s northern gold mines. Many of the buildings are in ruins, but the park preserves two major structures: the Shasta County Courthouse and Litsch General Store, now both museums. A self-guided walk (brochure available from the park visitor center) takes in the historic business district and the ruins of “Brick Row” which, during the prosperous 1850s, was once one of California’s largest communities. Footpaths lead to a pioneer cemetery and to various ruins scattered about the park; P.O. Box 2430, Shasta, 96087; tel. (916) 243-8194.

Honorable mention:

Citrus Heritage State Historic Park, Riverside

Will Rogers State Historic Park, Pacific Palisades

La Purisima Mission State Historic Park, Lompoc

Ft. Tejon State Historic Park, Lebec

Col. Allensworth State Historic Park, Earlimart

Pt. Sur State Historic Park, Big Sur

Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park, Pine Grove

Marshall Gold State Historic Park, Coloma

Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park, Sacramento

Ft. Ross State Historic Park, Jenner

10 Historic Walks Sonoma State Historic Park *

Shasta State Historic Park *

Old Sacramento State Historic Park *

Columbia State Historic Park *

Bodie State Historic Park *

Monterey State Historic Park *

San Juan Bautista State Historic Park *

Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument *

El Presido de Santa Barbara State Historic Park *

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park