Name: Backbone Trail
Rating: 4.4

Conditions

Unknown

History

Getting forecast...

“The entire long-distance trail between the Ray Miller Trailhead and Will Rogers State Historic Park.”

— Zander Göpfert

Driving Directions GPX File

Dogs Unknown

Features Birding · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Description

A Santa Monica Mountains ridgeline trail has been a goal for more than 50 years. Originally, it was set to stretch between Griffith Park to Point Mugu, but that concept never came to fruition. In the 1970s, with the start of state parks in the mountains, the idea began to gain momentum. The Backbone Trail would connect from Will Rogers State Historic Park to Point Mugu, heading right through the middle of Malibu Creek State Park.

During the 1980s, a number of supporters began to work on the project with California State Parks, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and the National Park Service. By 1990, 43 miles of the trail had been completed. It climbed ridges, cut across chaparral-covered hillsides, dove into oak woodlands, and forded creeks and valleys.

Like Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the Backbone Trail System has grown inch by inch across a collage of public lands. It has been constructed by volunteers, the California Conservation Corps, and professional staff from various parkland agencies. Sections of the trail were old animal paths that turned into singletrack trails; other segments were adopted fire roads. Only the most recently built sections have been created to modern trail standards.

Because of this trail-stitching process, some sections have different names and not every section is open to each user. For example, biking is limited to fire roads and is not permitted on singletrack trails—unless that trail is sanctioned and signed for bikes.

With the finishing touches being completed in the summer of 2016, the trail is now completely connected from end to end, stretching an uninterrupted ~67 miles through breathtaking coastal California scenes. Stay tuned for a possible National Recreation Trail designation in the months to come.

Contacts

Land Manager: NPS - Santa Monica Mountains

Full Details

Trail Ratings

4.4 from 5 votes

#1

in Point Mugu State Park

#4677

Overall

4.4 from 5 votes

5 Star		40%
4 Star		60%
3 Star		0%
2 Star		0%
1 Star		0%

Rankings

171 Views Last Month

2,466 Since Oct 13, 2016

Intermediate/Difficult

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Photos

Amazing view of Santa Monica, you can see Catal…

Owl's Clover: Found some nice patches along the…

A gorgeous day and spectacular views make for a…

At the top of the trail right before the Overlo…

Echo Cliffs

Clouds begin to fill the sky looking north from…

Great view even with the low clouds.

Eagle Rock.

One of the first vistapoint views on the trail…

Steepest hill climb of the trail.

View of Catalina Island

Rest area at the hub. Amazing views there!

Admiring the view at the inspiration point at W…

Eagle Rock in Topanga State Park. with permissi…

The view from Inspiration Point is pretty stellar.

Beautiful vistapoint before turning onto Sandst…

Good morning Los Angeles!

There's little shade in some areas along the tr…

View

Take in the awesome lunchtime views atop Sandst…

Popular trail on a July 4th. he trails personality changed every few minutes due to the patchy low clouds.

Chasing the sun rise from Rogers Road. View of…

Coastal fog and low clouds helps keep some wild…

Valley.

That little ribbon of green and lush awaits.

Nice views

View of the Pacific Ocean

The Hub at Backbone Trail

View from Inspiration Point on a cloudy day

The Topanga Microwave Tower.

Heading up the Backbone Trail toward Sandstone…

Best way to see Los Angeles. Downtown LA on th…

Length 68.8 Miles 110.7 Kilometers	12,338' 3,761 m Ascent -11,948' -3,642 m Descent
7% Avg Grade (4°) 39% Max Grade (21°)	2,975' 907 m High 56' 17 m Low

Backbone Trail

Length

68.8 Miles 110.7 Kilometers

12,338' 3,761 m

-11,948' -3,642 m

7%

39%

2,975' 907 m

56' 17 m

Shared By Zander Göpfert

Conditions