The National Park Service has acquired one of the three remaining pieces of land needed to complete the 65-mile Backbone Trail, according to a press release released Tuesday. The five-acre property borders the Etz Meloy Motorway, and is near what the press release calls “a popular lookout that offers a 360-degree view of the ocean, mountains and inland valleys accessible from the Encinal Canyon Trailhead.” The Backbone Trail begins at Will Rogers State Historic Park in Los Angeles and stretches north to Point Mugu State Park.
NPS has been seeking to connect the trail continuously for 25 years by acquiring patches disrupted by private property. The agency hopes to complete the trail and allow hikers to walk the entire length without private property gaps. Sections of the trail are also open for mountain biking and horse-riding.
“We are so close to completion,” Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Superintendent Woody Smeck said. “Through the relentless efforts of the Los Angeles community and the tireless support of our elected officials, we have slowly but surely pieced together one of the most significant and treasured trails in Southern California.”