Backbone Trail System

Infobox Hiking trail
Name=Backbone Trail System
Photo= Hikers on the Backbone Trail.jpg
Caption= The Backbone Trail between Will Rogers State Historic Park and Trippet Ranch in Topanga State Park
Location= Los Angeles County / Ventura County, California, USA
Length= 67.79 miles (109.10 km)
Start/End Points= Point Mugu State Park / Will Rogers State Historic Park
Use= Hiking, Cycling, Horseback Riding
ElevChange=
HighPoint= Sandstone Peak
LowPoint= Pacific Ocean
Difficulty= Moderate to Strenuous
Season= Year-round
Months=
Sights= Santa Monica Mountains
Hazards= Mountain lions
Poison Oak
Venomous snakes

The Backbone Trail System is a long distance trail extending 67.79 miles [ [http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/upload/BackTrailCordinates.pdf Backbone Trail System Milage/GPS Chart, National Park Service] ] (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 accessible to hikers and mountain bicyclists throughout its length; horseback riders are allowed on suitable portions of the trail as posted.

History

Construction on the backbone trail begain in the early 1980s, and involved the cooporation 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. [ [http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/backbonetrail.htm Santa Monica Mountains NRA - Backbone Trail (U.S. National Park Service)] . Accessed August 27, 2007.] 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.

Topography and geography

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 3111 ft, is the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains), the trail is more frequently graded than level.

Parts of the trail lie within the city limits of Los Angeles and Malibu, California; the rest sits in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and Ventura County. The following national, state, and privately-administered wilderness areas are traversed by the Backbone Trail:
*Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
*Will Rogers State Historic Park
*Topanga State Park
*Cold Creek Canyon Preserve "- owned by the [http://www.mountainstrust.org Mountains Restoration Trust] ."
*Malibu Creek State Park
*Point Mugu State Park

Environment

Like the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains, the Backbone Trail System belongs to the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, and a wide range of flora and fauna can be observed from the trail.

Flora

For the majority of its length, the Backbone Trail passes through terrain occupied by the ground-hugging bushes and shrubs that characterize chapparal ecosystems. Relatively few trees line the trail, an important consideration for travellers looking for shade.

Fauna

More than 450 vertebrate species have been observed within the Santa Monica Mountains NRA [ [http://www.nps.gov/samo/naturescience/animals.htm NPS.gov - Santa Monica Mountains NRA: Animals] . Accessed August 27, 2007.] , including more than 380 species of birds [ [http://www.nps.gov/samo/naturescience/birds.htm NPS.gov - Santa Monica Mountains NRA: Birds] . Accessed August 27, 2007.] . Lizards, seven species of which inhabit areas surrounding the trail [ [http://www.nps.gov/samo/naturescience/reptile_lizards.htm NPS.gov - Santa Monica Mountains NRA: Lizards] . Accessed August 27, 2007.] , are particularly numerous, and can be easily found on or alongside the trail. Notable species that can found along the Backbone trail include:
*Bobcat
*California Kingsnake
*Coyote
*Mountain lion
*Pacific treefrog
*Peregrine falcon
*Red-tailed hawk
*Southern Pacific rattlesnake

References

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/backbonetrail.htm Official Backbone Trail Website]
* [http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/upload/BBTMap.pdf Map of the Backbone Trail System from the US National Park Service]
* [http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/upload/BBTMileMarkers.pdf Complete List of Backbone Trail System Trailheads and Mile Markers from the US National Park Service]
* [http://www.californiacoastaltrail.org/resources/la/backbone.html California Coast Trail.org - Backbone Trail]
* [http://trails.mtbr.com/cat/united-states-trails/california-trails/california-la-area/trail/PRD_165388_4520crx.aspx Backbone Trail Mountain Biking Reviews from MTBR.com]