Backbone Trail System

Backbone Trail
The Backbone Trail between Will Rogers State Historic Park and Trippet Ranch in Topanga State Park
Length	67.79 mi (109.1 km)
Location	Los Angeles County / Ventura County, California, USA
Trailheads	Point Mugu State Park / Will Rogers State Historic Park
Use	Hiking, Cycling, Horseback Riding
Elevation
Highest point	Sandstone Peak
Lowest point	Pacific Ocean
Hiking details
Trail difficulty	Moderate to Strenuous
Season	Year-round
Sights	Santa Monica Mountains
Hazards	Mountain lions Poison oak Venomous snakes

The Backbone Trail is a long distance trail extending 67.79 miles (109.10 km) across the length of the Santa Monica Mountains in the U.S. state of California. Its western terminus is Point Mugu State Park and its eastern terminus is Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades. The trail is open to hikers throughout its length; dogs, mountain bicyclists and horseback riders are allowed on portions of the trail as posted.

Construction on the backbone trail began in the early 1980s, and involved the cooperation of the National Park Service, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and private parties interested in connecting existing trails within the Santa Monica Mountains NRA into a single trail spanning the length of the park. The range of conditions found on the trail - ranging from flat, wide fire roads to narrow single-track trails - reflects the trail's origin as a series of unconnected paths and backcountry roads, connected to form the Backbone Trail System.

In 2016, the National Park Service completed land acquisitions from former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and fitness pioneer Betty Weider to enable right-of-way for the trail. In May 2016, a new section of the trail was completed on the east side of Yerba Buena Road in support of these acquisitions.

The official opening ceremony for the Backbone Trail was held on Saturday, June 4, 2016 at Will Rogers State Park, from 9:00am to 12:00pm, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held at 10:00am.

As the Backbone Trail passes over the peaks and through the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, it climbs and falls in elevation nearly constantly. From its lowest point, the sea-level Ray Miller Trailhead at Point Mugu State Park, to its highest point, Sandstone Peak (which, at 3,111 ft (948 m), is the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains), the trail is more frequently graded than level.