It's been 20 years in the making, but the Backbone Trail along the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains is almost complete.
Only a six-mile gap remains in the granddaddy of all trails, which meanders 70 miles over spectacular peaks from Pacific Palisades near Santa Monica to Point Mugu.
It's because of this missing link that the Mountains Conservancy Foundation designates November as Backbone Trail Month, which will be crammed with organized outings to raise awareness of the project--and the need to raise $4.6 million to finish it.
So if you're anxious to hit the trail now that the cooler weather is here, you'll have a choice: hiking with the Sierra Club, biking with Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Assn., bird-watching with the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society or trekking with a state parks interpretive guide in areas burned by the Calabasas-Malibu wildfire last month.
The fire torched parts of Malibu Creek State Park and neighboring Tapia Park, both of which carry portions of the Backbone Trail. Malibu Creek State Park is open, but as of earlier this week Tapia Park was still closed.
But the fire hasn't fizzled Backbone Trail Month festivities. In fact, trail promoters say that hiking through the burned parkland is an amazing experience.
"It's a unique chance for people to see one aspect of the whole natural cycle of the mountains that they might not see otherwise," said Garrie Mar, director of development for the foundation. "It's fascinating how fast it grows back. Everyone predicts we'll have fabulous wildflowers" next spring.
When it's finished, the Backbone Trail will be one of the longest urban wilderness trails in the country. Hikers will be able to shoulder their backpacks and walk from Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades westward through connecting parks that link Topanga State Park, Malibu Creek State Park and Point Mugu State Park.
They can almost do that now. The missing link is a six-mile stretch of private property near the border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. It's about 420 acres between Encinal Road and the Circle X Ranch in Point Mugu State Park.
"We hope we'll have the money in four years, but we'll acquire the land as we go along," Mar said. "They're all willing sellers." For now, the west segment of the trail is 18 miles, and the east portion 46 miles.
