10/08/2026
Keeping the Backbone Strong
With permission to begin drainage work on the Encinal Canyon section of the Backbone Trail, the CORBA crew arrived early in the morning to beat the heat and get to work.
Larry Marino, Livia Szoke, Denise Pomonik and I spent the day rebuilding and improving the trail’s drainage system. By the end of the day, we had completed seven drains, upgrading each one to today’s trail standards. We widened the mouths to help capture and move water off the trail more effectively and made the drains larger and stronger so they can handle the winter rains and last for years to come.
Encinal Canyon is a popular section of the Backbone Trail, used by hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers. Keeping water off the trail is one of the most important things we can do to protect the tread and prevent erosion. A well-built drain might not be the most noticeable part of a trail, but when the rain comes, it can make all the difference.
There is also something special about working on this particular section of trail. The Backbone Trail wasn't created overnight. Its development was a 25-year effort involving citizen trail-building groups, the Sierra Club, Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council, National Park Service, California State Parks and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
More than 20 years ago, people were building these sections of the Backbone by hand, creating a trail that would eventually become one of the most important routes across the Santa Monica Mountains. In 2013, the National Park Service even organized a National Trails Day project east of Encinal Canyon Road, where volunteers worked on tread, vegetation and drainage to prepare the trail to properly handle winter rain.
That's exactly what we were doing today.
When we spend an entire day moving rocks, shaping dirt and rebuilding drains, we're not simply maintaining a trail. We're continuing the work of the people who came before us.
Their tools may have been different. Their crews may have been different. But the mission is the same: build it right, take care of it and leave the trail better for the people who come after us.
Seven drains may not sound like much until you stand there and realize every rock was moved by hand and every drain was shaped with a purpose.
That's trail work.
And that's how we keep the Backbone strong.
And we're not done yet.
We'll continue the work this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m
Siempre Adelante,
Juan Carlo
