A look at projects undertaken by the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council to build, restore, and improve trails and facilities throughout the region.
We finally finished the new campground at Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island. There are six regular sites and a large one for handicap access and staff. Work began in August 2022 and continued through July 2026.
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In the first half of 2022, the Trails Council partnered with State Parks to assess and improve trail signage in Point Mugu State Park.
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The Trails Council collaborated with State Parks to replace five puncheons destroyed in the Palisades Fire in January 2025. Each sub-project is being implemented as an Eagle Scout Project.
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The Bent Arrow Trail was severely damaged by a mudslide in December 2021. A section of trail slid down the slope after heavy rain saturated the soil. The wall built during restoration was later destroyed by the 2025 Palisades Fire.
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Several Saturdays and hundreds of volunteer hours were spent removing brush and repairing tread along the Chamberlain Trail, making the trail much nicer to hike and enjoy.
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Several years ago, the Trails Council, supported by the National Park Service (NPS), undertook a challenging restoration project on Saddle Peak. The aim of this project was the removal and restoration of a roughly 10-acre area heavily infested by Spanish Broom.
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Restoration and access updates for Santa Barbara Island's trails.
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The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council installed kiosks and picnic benches at twelve Backbone Trail trailheads.
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Several years after the Springs Fire of 2013, heavy overnight rainfall wiped away several segments of trail in Upper Sycamore Canyon.
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An Eagle Scout Project to restore facilities and natural habitat at La Jolla Canyon campground following the Springs Fire of 2013.
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