The trail was finished in 2007 as it is now.įor more on the trail's history, click here. All but about six miles of trail were complete - and then funding stopped.įor the next 27 years, they struggled to acquire the remaining land parcels to build the rest. The trail runs through the scenicManti-La Sal National Forest. The Backbone Trail will officially be finished June 4, and will extend from Will Rogers State Park all the way to Point Mugu in Malibu. The South Skyline Drive is the backbone of theArapeen Trail System, which features more than 300 miles of trails between Utah Highway 31 to the north and the Fishlake National Forest to the south. They also legislated for funding.įrom 1979-1993, park agencies bought the majority of land that makes the trail now, which is made up of old fire roads and newly built paths. Follow Temple Mountain Road about 9 miles to the trailhead. Local organizations raised awareness for the preservation of the mountains and, in the mid-1970s, state legislators pushed the need to connect the existing state parks via a single trail. The history of the Backbone TrailĪfter a failed proposal to build a highway through the mountains that would extend Reseda Boulevard to the Pacific Coast Highway in the 1960s, concerns were raised about possible threats to the open space, she said. Half are newly built trails, half are pre-existing trails and fire roads. place in 1990, near completion of trail is celebrated. Wildlife includes coyotes, mule deer, coast horned lizards, Southern. Not just a few big hillsan actual mountain range named the Santa Monica Mountains runs east to west across much of the cityand this week, a 67-mile trail connecting the peaks of many of. “The Backbone Trail was always seen as the unifying trail across the mountains, and it’s really tremendous and a milestone to finally have this trail completed and to see that indeed all these parks are getting tied together now,” she said. The Backbone Trail cuts across seven of nine plant communities in the Santa Monica Mountains. A significant motivator to complete the project, Beck said, was the upcoming centennial celebration for the National Park Service. While there was always public access, it was extremely restricted. The park abounds with historical and cultural sites, from old movie ranches to Native American centers. Experience the famous beaches of Malibu or explore more than 500 miles of trails. “Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation area has several parks, and there has been long a vision to tie all those parks together," Beck said. The Santa Monica Mountains offer easy access to surprisingly wild places. They are currently in the process of finalizing the last two grounds purchases - which sit on a fire road built in 1924 - so people can officially trek the entire trail. She said that is the largest single donation along the trail. Last summer, one of the last stretches of privately-owned land was donated by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The biggest obstacle has been acquiring privately-owned land that previously created gaps in the trails and hindered public access, Beck said. Why is the trail just being completed now? On a clear day, she said, hikers can catch a glimpse of the Channel Islands. ![]() She suggests entering through trailheads in Point Mugu State Park to get the best ocean views. It sits at the west end of Circle X Ranch in Ventura County. Another well-attended area is Sandstone Peak, the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains. A rocky outcrop called Eagle Rock is a frequent destination for most visitors. So, after two sections, we’ve done eight miles of the BBT, with 59 to go! Weather permitting, we’re aiming to return to the western end of the mountains in a couple of weeks for one of the longer sections of the trail.Where can I hike if I don't want to hike all 67 miles?īeck said the most popular chunks of trail are in Topanga State Park and Will Rogers State Park. They are closer to the ground, their paws get hot and they can really suffer in our SoCal heat. It’s not just people that suffer from dehydration and heat exhaustion, it’s often even worse for dogs joining their humans on hikes. Seeing fast flowing water in any stream in these mountains is a refreshing sight!Īll in all, this was a perfect hike for a hot day – not too much exertion, plenty of shade and lots to enjoy. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to pay attention to weather conditions in the Santa Monicas. This is where we should have emerged had we crossed the creek at the beginning of the hike. A stroll under the Las Virgenes Road bridge, took us to a view of Malibu Creek from the other side. For the sake of completion, we walked back along Piuma Road and turned left down a very narrow trail just before the junction with Las Virgenes.
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