More of Backbone Trail now open to hikers


DIGGING IN—Workers repair a section of the trail damaged in thefire. Courtesy of National Park Service

DIGGING IN—Workers repair a section of the trail damaged in thefire. Courtesy of National Park Service

Another portion of the Backbone Trail managed by the National Park Service in Malibu reopened March 1, along with the popular Grotto Trail in the Circle X area.

The majority of the 67-mile Backbone Trail is now open, with the exception of a 4-mile stretch from Yerba Buena Road to the Mishe Mokwa Trailhead and a 6-mile section from the Kanan Trailhead east to the Corral Canyon Trailhead, the park service said.

Large portions of the trail have been closed since the Woolsey fire destroyed 88 percent of federal parkland in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in November.

“Our small trails crew, assisted on some days by our valuable partners, which include members of the California Conservation Corps, Camp 13 and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council, did a phenomenal job in restoring these trails,” said David Szymanski , superintendent of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

“An especially rainy season hindered the work and created a variety of additional hazards, but these folks really came through and made it happen.”

Trails and areas in the park that are still closed include Solstice Canyon and trails in Zuma/ Trancas Canyons.

All official trails in Circle X Ranch, one of the park’s most remote and scenic locations, are now open, including the Mishe Mokwa Loop, Sandstone Peak Trail and the Tri Peaks Trail. Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyons, Paramount Ranch, Rancho Sierra Vista and the Santa Monica Mountains Visitor Center at King Gillette Ranch are also open.

Trees that were badly burned in the fire and susceptible to falling were cleared, as were the eroded trails and warped, burned culverts. Tasks included clearing trails of hazardous rocks, branches and sticks, and reestablishing trail pads by spreading any slough that fell from the hillsides onto a trail and finding large rocks and dirt to fill deep ruts that cut into the pathways.

Although much of the repair work is completed, the park service is asking visitors to stay on trails and be aware that numerous safety hazards still exist. Hikers going off trail can cause more damage to newly restored trails, trample new plants and prevent the regrowth of fragile vegetation.

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area operates an approximate 500-mile trail network.

Acorn staff report