The plan envisions a visitor’s center at Bluffs Park and perhaps a coastal cruise and scenic van tour of the great outdoors in Malibu.
By P.G. O’Malley/Special to The Malibu Times
In what should thrill hardcore hikers and beach-goers, connecting trail gaps to make the mountains accessible to the beach will be one of the first tasks of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area’s General Plan, which calls for a Trail Management Plan that will evaluate the current 500-mile trail network.
On the local front, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is currently working on a trail up Corral Canyon, and Dave Brown of the Sierra Club says another may be in the works for Solstice Canyon if the recreation area is able to purchase additional land. Making the trails accessible from Pacific Coast Highway would also make it possible for residents of the inner city to take the bus to Malibu and spend some time by the ocean and in the mountains.
And considering that a whopping 30 million of the recreation area’s 33 million annual users visit the beach, Bluffs Park has been identified as a logical place for what Superintendent Woody Smeck calls a major visitor center and orientation center, once the conflict between the city and state parks regarding ball fields is resolved. Other recreational facilities likely to involve Malibu include a coastal cruise and scenic van tour of PCH, Malibu Canyon and Mulholland Highway.
Another aspect of the trail management plan will address the escalating conflict between hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers. According to an ongoing USC study, hikers are still the largest user group in the mountains, with mountain bikers second and equestrians a distant third–and hikers want some trails to exclude mountain bikes. One specific change that is called for in the plan is the rerouting of a mountains bike trail around the Boney Mountain Wilderness.
More importantly, creating a balance between visitors basking in the wilderness and safeguarding natural habitats is the key to the plan being successful. According to recreation area Superintendent Woody Smeck, the three government agencies involved in the managing the areas, the National Park Service, California Department of Parks and Recreation and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, hope to steer a course between recreational use and preservation of the mountain’s rare Mediterranean ecosystem.
Although the recreation area includes valuable wild habitat for 27 endangered species, the legislation that protects the mountains in Malibu’s backyard also requires they be made available for recreation. Upcoming plans also include building a series of eight trail camps along the Backbone Trail between Point Mugu and Will Rogers state parks and the establishment of a number of public education facilities at Mugu Lagoon in Ventura County and Rancho Sierra Vista on the northern side of the mountains.
Additionally the plan calls for expansion of facilities at Paramount Ranch near Malibu Lake, including a film history center and museum. White Oak Farm, near the intersection of Las Virgenes Road and Mulholland Highway will also see more school children and casual visitors for interpretative and educational programs.
“As far as recreation goes,” says Brown, “there’s very little land left that hasn’t been developed and is suitable for recreation. I’m talking about large pieces of land that accommodate large groups of people.” Brown cited the loss of property along Las Virgenes Road to housing and Soka University. The Park Service still has its eyes on the old Gillette Ranch property at the corner of Las Virgenes and Mulholland for a park headquarters and education center, but so far Soka has indicated it isn’t interested in selling.
The Preservation Alternative was chosen from among five put forward to the public at a series of meetings that began in 1997. Under the new plan, 80 percent of the park will be reserved for natural and cultural resource protection, where visitors can discover “a sense of being immersed in natural and wild landscape.” Hiking, biking and horseback riding will be allowed only on designated trails. Fifteen percent of the land will be designated at moderate intensity use, which allows low-impact camping, self-guided nature trails and guided interpretative walks, while 5 percent will see high intensity use, including campground camping, educational activities, day camps and community activities similar to what now occurs at sites such as Malibu Creek State Park and Paramount Ranch.