BBT ~ Santa Monica Backbone Trail
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Castro Crest on the BBT:
Overview of the BBT:
The Santa Monica Backbone Trail follows the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains for 68 miles from Point Mugu to Will Rogers State Park. The BBT (Backbone Trail) climbs 19,000 feet (and descends 18,500 feet) over a collection of dirt trails, gravel roads and even some rock scrambling.
During the spring of 2017 my hiking compadre Hobbes and I set out to thru-hike the entire route in under 3 days. The heat on the steep climbs was grueling, sometimes well into the 90’s, with no natural water sources, exposed trails and little shade. . . but the miles of wildflowers and epic views made every step worth while.
Day One: 22 miles.
Thru-hiking the BBT requires some shuttle logistics so after parking at Will Rogers State Park we caught an Uber to the start at Point Mugu. . . by the time we started it was already 10:00 am.
The plan was to hike 22 miles with over 6,600′ of elevation gain the first day. If we wanted to finish the entire BBT in three days we would need to average at least 22 miles each day.
The Ray Miller trailhead at Point Mugu is the unofficial beginning of the BBT:
The wildflowers were booming after the big rains the previous winter.
Lush canyons in spring along the BBT:
Sandstone Peak (aka Mt. Allen) is the high point of the BBT at 3,111 feet:
Day Two: 27 miles.
Day 2 started with an easy stroll into a lush shady canyon along well engineered switchbacks. . . but that would change by the end of the day. The goal for today was to make Saddle Peak, about 27 miles to the east.
Once we reached the rock scrambling section along the Castro Crest Hobbes started to fade. He had just finished a medical procedure two days prior and asked the doctor, “so can I run a marathon in two days?”. The doctor warned against doing too much strenuous activity so soon and by mid-day his advice started to ring true. The extreme heat, big miles and steep climbs finally lead to severe dehydration and it was not safe for Hobbes to continue. At Malibu Canyon he called for an Uber and in a few hours he was having dinner in the comfort of home.
I decided to continue solo and after a water break and thru-hiker style “shower” at the Piuma Trailhead bathroom I headed toward the final 1,500 foot climb to Saddle Peak. During the extreme heat it really helped to rinse out my shirt to help cool down before moving on. There’s nothing like wearing an ice cold wet shirt on a scorching hot day.
It was dark by the time I reached Saddle Peak at 8:00 pm. It had been a long 13 hour day but worth every mile to see the panoramic views of the entire L.A. basin, ocean, coastline and beyond from the summit!
Cool shady trail in the morning.
Scrambling along the Castro Crest.
City lights from Saddle Peak.
Day Three: 18 miles.
Day 3 was going to be a breeze compared to the big miles on Day 2, and I was already looking forward to a cheese burger at the end. The last section starts with an easy hike down into Hondo Canyon but quickly picks up elevation after crossing Topanga Canyon and climbing up to Trippet Ranch. There were many more busy road crossing on this last section and some of the trail signs were easy to miss, but once I reached Musch Camp it was all downhill to Will Rogers State Park. The big panoramic views of the entire LA Basin were beautiful and it was clear all the way to the Pacific Palisades, Catalina and beyond.
A few of the advantages to this busier last section were the more frequent water sources and places to camp. Check out the Water Sources and Camp Site sections at the end of the story. . .
Morning from Saddle Peak:
Shady trail before Trippet Ranch.
A rare water source right on the trail near Trippet Ranch.
Eagle Rock:
Big views of LA and beyond.
Santa Monica and Catalina Island from the BBT.
Getting close to civilization. . .
The BBT ends at Will Rogers State Park.
Thru-hiking the BBT was a fun way to get a wilderness experience while staying relatively close to home. The trailhead is only an hour away and just the cruise along PCH is worth the drive. Since I first thru-hiked the trail in 2017 I have gone back and revisited a few of my favorite sections in 2018. I plan on thru-hiking the entire trail in two days later in 2018 as a way to train for some longer trips in the Sierra this summer.
More BBT Info:
Water Sources on the BBT:
Water is scarce on the BBT and it was important to plan ahead. I left several water caches at easily accesable road crossings and trailheads. Water sources are much less frequent on the west half of the trail. Here is a list of the available water sources along the trail (the mileage is from the Ray Miller trailhead):
Danielson Ranch: Mile 8 (water fountain at rock circle).
Malibu Conservation Camp: Mile 26 (fire station at the end of Rattle Snake Road).
Malibu Canyon: Mile 45 (inside the bathroom at the Piuma Trailhead).
Dead Horse Trailhead: Mile 58 (water fountain and bathrooms, near Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Greenleaf Canyon Road)
Trippet Ranch: Mile 59 (water fountain right on the trail, bathrooms and water at the trailhead parking lot)
Musch Camp: Mile 60 (water fountain right on the trail, bathrooms at the camp).
Camping on the BBT:
According to the NPS website, “Camp sites are extremely limited along the Backbone Trail”. There are only a few designated camp sites nearby the trail. The three that I am aware of include:
Circle X Ranch: Mile 18: Located within about 1 mile from the trail at 12896 Yerba Buena Rd, Malibu, CA 90265.
Malibu Creek State Park: Mile 45: Located a few miles from the trail at 1925 Las Virgenes Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302.
Musch Hike In Camp: Mile 58: Located about 1 mile from Trippet Ranch right on the BBT.
It is not legal to camp outside of designated camp sites. Glen Van Peski has written some good articles about being mindful of the Seven Leave No Trace Principles while responsibly ‘stealth camping’. His excellent website (Gossamergear.com) is a helpful resource.
GPS Waypoints and Mileage/Altitude Breakdown:
The following GPS waypoints are from the NPS Backbone Trail website. According the NPS website there is a total of 19,000 feet of ascent and 18,500 feet of descent when going eastbound on the BBT. My measurements confirm these numbers, although the total altitude change is slightly different on the chart below.
UL Gear on the BBT:
To comfortably hike long days with big miles and steep climbs it was helpful to go as light as possible for the BBT. Hobbes and I both used lightweight minimalist gear including homemade backpacks and quilts, lightweight foam sleeping pads and a no-cook menu.
Homemade gear:
Gear List:
I hope this helps anyone considering a thru-hike of the BBT. For detailed maps, more photos, gear details and links to helpful BBT websites check out the whole story here:
http://seatosummitultralight.blogspot.com/2018/04/santa-monica-backbone-trail-2017.html
Thanks for reading.
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