The Backbone Trail
The Palisades Fire in California last year sure has messed things up. Not only was it devastating to the communities in Santa Monica and nearby towns, it burned large swaths of the adjacent Santa Monica Mountains. This is now problematic for me because those mountains are where the Backbone Trail is or was. I say “was” because the loss of vegetation and the winter rain have eroded and even washed away sections of the trail. Fortunately, much of the trail is intact. The worst damage appears to have been at the east end of this East-West trail.
As you can see from the map, the eastern end of the trail, in red, is gone. It used to start at the beautiful old mansion built by Will Rogers when he was a movie star back in the 1920s. Now the land is Will Rogers State Park, centered on his home and ranch. The fire burned down every structure on the property and created hazardous conditions on the hiking trails that had been developed there. It was a total loss. But it appeared that the Temescal Ridge Trail, in adjacent Topanga State Park, green dots, was burned, but open. So I could start there. That was a workaround which gave me some hope. I now had a plan to deal with the longest section of closed trail. But I needed to know more about this trail.
As I started digging into the Backbone Trail, I became aware of just how many old trails had been stitched together to create it. So I started keeping track. You can see my notes above listing every name of every trail that has been subsumed by the Backbone Trail. Apparently, the signs have not been changed for a lot of them, so knowing the old name for a section of trail may come in handy for navigation.
My research also led me to the fact that there are basically no reliable water sources along the Backbone Trail. So, similar to when I did the Oregon Coast Trail, all my water will need to come from a tap. Fortunately, I did find a list of where I might find water along the way, but there are some long water carries on this trail.
Likewise, camping opportunities are apparently thin. No dispersed camping is allowed, and there are only a couple of campgrounds near the trail. Some options for off-trail AirB&B’s exist, but that is going to require more research on my part.
Meanwhile, getting back to my research on trail closures, I found the next closure was a several-mile segment about three-fourths of the way along the trail, marked in red on the map above. Unfortunately, there is no obvious way around it, which does put a crimp in my plans. I’ll have to contact the land managers for that part of the trail and see if there is a workaround. If not, then I’m thinking I will have to shelve this trail until next year when it will presumably be better recovered from the fire.
So the Backbone Trail has a number of challenges made worse by the fire last year. A little more research is required before I can decide. I will keep you in the loop on that.
Anyway, until next week safe travels and happy trails…
Hey Mark. I just drove down Hwy 1 (1st time since fire) and was shocked at the number of homes that were lost in the fire. Completely changed the landscape. Would imagine the burned areas and trails are pretty bad in the mountains too.
And we have had lot of rain already this year in Southern California, so there is a general anticipation that it will be another bad fire season. So personally, I think you should consider holding off and give it another year to see how much conditions improves.
My 2 cents…. Oscar
Oz, Thanks! I value your opinion and appreciate your observations and advice. I am definitely leaning toward postponing until next year. I did check a more extensive fire map showing all the fires over the last 20 years in the Santa Monica Mtns, and there have been a surprising number. The Palisades Fire obliterated the first 10 to 12 miles of the trail, beyond that it burned south and below the trail. In other words, the rest of the trail was not affected by the fire last year. The section I mentioned farther west on the trail that is potentially closed, is the result of a fire in 2018.
Anyway, thanks for your thoughts and valuable feedback, brother.
Have you factored in the heat when you think about hiking the Backbone? This week in Los Angeles it’s to be record-breaking upper 90s. Even here in Carp, a summer 80s in mid-March! I’m with Oz thinking you’ll have a more complete experience of the Backbone Trail in 2027 and maybe even better in 2028! Of course, 2028 is an Olympic year in LA! Love that you share the process of your planning with us. The map is superb in giving us a good idea of the challenges you’ll face in 2026.
Hey Dan,
Yep, I do factor in the weather. Unfortunately, with climate change, it’s more of a toss of the dice than it used to be. In the not-too-distant past, the March temperature range in the Santa Monica Mountains has been low 50’s to high 60’s. But, as you note, the temps today, March 17, 2026, are in the upper 80’s. (As we all know, this is not happening and is all just a hoax perpetrated by the liberals.) On the off chance that it is not a hoax, I am thinking hard about doing it next winter, say February or early March. There could be substantial rain at that time, so it’s a gamble. Also, between now and then, it is highly likely there will be another fire. Maybe even a worse one, which could close more of the trail. Yet another gamble. I am monitoring the situation.
We come to Santa Barbara in the off-season because it is, indeed, the rainy season. It’s also the snowy season in Maine. So we’ll roll the dice with SB’s winter weather.