San Antonio Mission Trail

San Antonio walking tours tend to pass parts of the trail close to downtown, the Alamo, and the River Walk, but the best way to explore the 14-mile (23-kilometer) out-and-back trail is to put on your walking shoes or hop on a bike. Paved pathways along the river are for pedestrians only, while the Hike & Bike trail is open to cyclists. It generally takes about 4-5 hours to complete.

• The Alamo and each of the national park's missions are partially wheelchair accessible. They have accessible restrooms and wheelchairs available to loan.

• You don't have to walk the entire trail—each mission is about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from the next.

• Bring water and sunscreen—summer temperatures in San Antonio often rise above 100°F (38°C).

• Watch for prickly pears, turtles, snakes, egrets, cormorants, and mockingbirds along the trail.

The trail begins at the Alamo, one of San Antonio's five Spanish missions, and runs south along the San Antonio Rover to Mission Espada and back. You can also start the trail at Mission Concepcion 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) downriver. The Alamo is smack-dab in the center of San Antonio and is best reached on foot.

The San Antonio Mission Trail is open year-round. Remember that San Antonio is one of Texas's top tourist destinations and is full of visitors in summer and during major holidays. To avoid the crowds and the sweltering summer heat, visit in spring, fall, or even winter. You can also try visiting during the World Heritage Festival, which usually celebrates all the San Antonio Missions in early September.

San Antonio is known for having the largest concentration of Spanish missions in North America. You can see all of the city's UNESCO-listed missions on the mission trail, starting with Mission San Antonio de Valero, also known as the Alamo, and continuing to the four comprising the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park: Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan Capistrano, and Mission San Francisco de la Espada.