Added Path in Backbone Trail Closes 3-Mile Gap

Officials, including Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), gathered Thursday to dedicate a newly completed three-mile segment of the Backbone Trail in upper Zuma Canyon.

Closing that gap created 40 miles of continuous trails available for hiking, bicycling and equestrian use, said Jean Bray, a spokeswoman with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

With a $40,000 grant from the National Park Foundation and matching funds from other agencies, state workers and volunteers completed the project, Bray said. During a one-year effort, they built a path and retaining walls, installed drainage culverts and added two wooden bridges, she said. Workers also placed educational signs to explain the trail’s natural resources and cultural history.

The 70-mile Backbone Trail is not yet completed; a six-mile portion still needs to be added.

The trail, which winds through state and federal land from Will Rogers State Historic Park to Point Mugu, provides access to 65,000 acres of parkland.