![]() Stay to the left at the following junction, passing a connector trail to the westbound side of the Backbone Trail (Mesa Peak Motorway). To reach it, hike south down Puerco Road. Mesa Peak is actually at a lower elevation than the junction along the Backbone Trail (itself around 1,865 feet), but the small summit presents broader ocean views. Turn left down Puerco Motorway to reach the summit of Mesa Peak. Puerco Motorway heads south, descending to Mesa Peak. The Backbone Trail (Mesa Peak Motorway) continues to the right (west) for another 2.8 miles to Corral Canyon Road (a possible trailhead for another hike along the west end of Mesa Peak Motorway to Mesa Peak), passing McAuley Peak after a quarter mile. Past the rock you will gain a view of the mesa, a flatter section of the mountains to the south.Īfter hiking just over 2 miles up Mesa Peak Motorway, and 2.7 miles from the start, you will come to an important split in the road. ![]() The Backbone Trail continues up the mountainside, passing a saddle on a ridge marked by a tall orange boulder (2.25 miles from the start). Now 600 feet below, the trail serves as a good reference point for appreciating the grandeur of these mountains. The road pushes higher up the mountain and at 2.1 miles you get an impressive view back down over the lower part of the trail where you got the first views into Malibu Canyon. While there are several nice bunches of live oaks along this mostly sun-exposed hike, this is the most impressive. Cross through an oak woodland, 1.85 miles from the start, where boulders below the trees are covered in moss and ferns. Pass a small holding tank about 1.4 miles from the start and continue up the road. Saddle Peak above Mesa Peak Motorway Malibu Canyon Brents Mountain Wherever you look, the sight is a delight. The trail progresses along a ridge above Malibu Canyon that offers alternating views either south and east toward Malibu Creek and Saddle Peak or north and west toward Brents Mountain and Agoura Hills. Rounding the bend, get a new view down Malibu Canyon, where steep rock walls drop to Malibu Creek on its run to the Pacific. When you’ve hiked 0.45 miles up Mesa Peak Motorway (the wide section of the Backbone Trail), a bend to the right will offer open views east toward the 2,805-foot summit of Saddle Peak. Looking down over the first bend in Mesa Peak Motorway The dirt road is fairly steep in places, but the views improve as you climb, so make a point to stop and enjoy the scenery any time you need to catch your breath. Ahead there are views of Brents Mountain, a rugged twin peak of orange rock with a white cross on top that you will see throughout the hike.Īt the end of the single track, 2/3 of a mile from the start, turn left up a wide dirt road, which immediately launches into a horseshoe bend to the left, leading higher up the mountain. The trail crosses a rocky gap and passes through chaparral above a small dam. Along the single track, you will gradually ascend a mountain slope with over-the-shoulder views north toward Agoura Hills. The first leg of the hike is 2/3 of a mile of dirt single track leading to a wide dirt road, Mesa Peak Motorway. ![]() Set out from the Piuma Trailhead, pass a bathroom, and make an immediate left at a marked junction to begin up the Backbone Trail. The hike begins from a trailhead on Malibu Canyon Road at the south end of Malibu Creek State Park about four miles from the Pacific Ocean. ![]()
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