Calif. State Parks & MRCA Strive to Reopen Palisades Trails
The damaged Chicken Ridge Bridge on the Backbone Trail soon after the Palisades Fire. Photo: Courtesy of California State Parks
By Laurel Busby
Courtesy of Circling the News
Repairs to Pacific Palisades hiking trails damaged by both fire and rain have been complicated by destroyed bridges and mudslides, according to park officials.
While several popular trails have gone back in service, including the Los Liones Canyon trail and the path to Will Rogers State Historic Park’s Inspiration Point, other trails require more extensive repairs, including a segment of the Backbone Trail and portions of the trail that traverses Temescal Gateway Park into Topanga State Park.
Both trails have bridges that were destroyed in the fire. In addition, both pre-and post-fire rain caused significant damage to a mile-long section of the Temescal Canyon trail, which will require extensive repairs outside the scope of the in-house trail-building team, according to Jason Finlay, the Angeles District trails coordinator for California State Parks.
The 140 acres of Temescal Gateway Park with its 1.5-mile trail that connects to Topanga State Park’s Temescal Canyon trail has been partially repaired by both volunteers and a contracted trail builder, according to Dash Stolarz, the director of public affairs at the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority. However, park facilities, including the public restrooms, still lack electricity, hot water, and gas, and much of the park’s piping and cabling was damaged by the fire.
A reopening date for the park has not yet been set, but Stolarz said it will happen soon.
“All that I can tell you is that the park will be open soon,” said Stolarz, who also noted that about 12 cabins were destroyed, while most of the park’s other structures, including the post office, dining hall, and auditorium, were saved. “We want to open the park as much as the public wants it open. This is just a tragedy, and we’re having to deal with it just like everyone else.”
Safety issues, such as exposed tree roots and unstable trees that are in danger of falling, are one problem area, Stolarz said. In addition, most of the well-used trail is on State Parks land, so it is being addressed by that agency.
Finlay, who oversees trail-building in Topanga State Park, said that the Temescal trail has “serious issues” on the State Parks side.
“Even the small amount of rain last year did incredible damage to our property,” Finlay said. “Most of the trails are on old ranch and fire roads preexisting State Park management of the land…..During post-fire rains, there were large flows of water coming down the devegetated hillsides causing significant washouts.”
The damaged area, which is about a mile of the trail with some “massive slides and massive boulders,” requires repairs beyond the scope of the normal handwork trail repairs that his department manages, Finlay said. Instead, heavy equipment will be required, so a team from Sacramento that includes engineering hydrologists, will conduct an assessment of the trail in early April after the rainy season has ended to advise the district on how to proceed.
“I know it’s the most popular hike in that park,” Finlay said. “It’s a priority for us to get that trail open.”
In addition to the Los Liones and Inspiration Point trails, Finlay said the following trails had been repaired and reopened since the Palisades Fire: Bone Canyon Road, Betty Rogers Trail (Including Lower Betty Rogers Trail and Betty Rogers Connector Trail), Bone Canyon Trail, Bridal Path, Mitt Pasture Trail, Pasture Trail, and Sunset Trail.
Over the coming months, the Inspiration Point Loop Trail at Will Rogers State Historic Park will undergo partial closures for work that was planned prior to the fire. Currently, it is closed west of the Bone Canyon access road, although both Inspiration Point and Bone Canyon are still accessible.
“The western end will be closed through approximately the end of March [or] early April provided the weather cooperates and we don’t lose too much time to wet weather work shut downs,” Finlay said. “This is an ongoing road restoration project that began with phase I in Fall of 2024 and ended just before the January fires. We are addressing long running erosion issues and slope failures along the road for long term sustainability.”
A crew at work on the Los Liones Canyon trail. Photo: Courtesy of California State Parks
According to Finlay, other trails that still need substantial repairs comprise the following:
Backbone (Rogers Road) Trail: The 6.8-mile segment between Will Rogers and Temescal Ridge Fire Road lost the Chicken Ridge Bridge in the Palisades Fire. The old bridge was not up to modern standards and replacing its 110-foot trail span is outside the capacity of the in-house trail team. A geotechnical firm did preliminary assessments at the beginning of January, and they are working on their report.
Bent Arrow Trail: Closed due to 2024 atmospheric river storms, the ½-mile trail will require retaining walls and hillside stabilization, but the priority is low compared to the Backbone Trail and Temescal Canyon trail system.
Josepho Spur Trail: The trail, which connects to the Chicken Ridge Bridge, is currently in good condition, but inaccessible until the closed Backbone Trail segment reopens. (The rest of the Backbone Trail is open.)
Rustic Canyon Trail: This ½-mile trail needs structural repairs that are a low priority for the department due to low usage compared to other trails.
Bienvenida Trail: The Sierra Club Task Force and other volunteer partners have been helping the in-house team repair the trail. Once a final, small section of a retaining wall is built, which should happen by the end of February, the trail will reopen, assuming that it suffers no further damage from rain this month.
Finlay also noted that the Rivas Canyon and Temescal Ridge trails within Topanga State Park have been rehabilitated, but they are not yet accessible since Temescal Gateway Park remains closed.
According to Stolarz of the MRCA, the Rivas Canyon and Temescal Ridge trails within Temescal Gateway Park “are not in good condition and are not safe to open to the public. MRCA is actively rehabilitating the trails so that when the park does open the trails will be safe and enjoyable for the public.”
Updates on closures at Topanga State Park can be found here: https://www.parks.ca.gov/post/51
Updates on closures at Will Rogers State Historic Park can be found here: https://www.parks.ca.gov/willrogers
Los Liones Canyon trail after the Palisades Fire. Photo: Courtesy of California State Parks
