3-Mile Gap in 70-Mile Backbone Trail Finished

Work has been completed on a three-mile segment of the Backbone Trail in upper Zuma Canyon.

With the closure of that gap, there are 40 miles of continuous trails for hikers, bicyclists and equestrians. A six-mile section remains to be added to the 70-mile trail before it is finished.

State workers and volunteers completed the project with a $40,000 grant from the National Park Foundation and matching funds from other agencies, said Jean Bray, a spokeswoman for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Over a year’s time, the workers built a path and retaining walls, installed drainage culverts and added two wooden bridges, she said. Educational signs were posted to explain the trail’s natural resources and cultural history.

It winds through state and federal land from Will Rogers State Historic Park to Point Mugu, providing access to 65,000 acres of parkland.