#Best section of backbone trail how to#
#Best section of backbone trail full#

I think a huge reason for this is that hiking toward the Western Terminus meant that I was hiking away from civilization and toward the BBT’s only designated wilderness.Įarly sections of the trail, including the first section immediately after the Eastern Terminus, and the section going past Eagle Rock, are fire roads. The only exception to this was day two, where the trail had been affected by heavy rains.

I found throughout my hike, that the actual terrain I was hiking on got significantly more rugged as the hike progressed. Going WeBo, in my experience, made these rolling sections slightly more bearable than they would have been going in the opposite direction. The sections of trail that were uphill for me would have been steep and sketchy downhills. However, I found throughout my hike, that the sections I was descending would have been extremely difficult to ascend, and vice versa.

#Best section of backbone trail full#

The BBT is full of canyons to descend and hills and mountains to climb, so there really is no getting out of climbing and descending the collective 12,874 feet that exist along this trail. However, if you start at Will Rogers, your ending elevation for the day (camping at Musch Camp) will be around 1,200 feet with your high point for the day being around 2,020 feet. Starting at the Ray Miller Trail at the Western Terminus will force you to start off your thru hike with the largest climb of the entire trail, with your high point for the day being at the end of the day at Sandstone Peak, which stands at 3,111 feet (and is the tallest mountain in the Santa Monicas). While both ends of the trail are located at about sea level, the elevation gain on day one is significantly different starting at Will Rogers at the Eastern Terminus, versus Point Mugu’s Ray Miller Trail at the Western Terminus. The Backbone Trail (BBT) spans California’s Santa Monica Mountains between Point Mugu State Park and Will Rogers State Historic Park.

This is why you should do a Westbound (WeBo) thru-hike of the Backbone Trail. The only posts I found mentioned doing the trail from East to West, so I planned my trek to follow the same route, and I’m so glad I did. There is so little information on it, partially because the trail is still considered incomplete by the National Park Service.

#Best section of backbone trail how to#

When I was planning my Backbone Trail thru-hike, I had a lot of trouble finding resources and guides on how to actually complete this trail.