MAY 2SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS TRAILS THREATENED
MAY 2SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS TRAILS THREATENED
Action Alert from IMBA
Available for immediate release
Contact Mark Eller, IMBA communications specialist (303-545-9011)
Canyonback Trail is an important access point to the Westridge Canyon Back Wilderness Park in Southern California’s Santa Monica Mountains. It links two major trails in the parkland, and serves as an access point to a network trail within the Big Wild, which is a 21,000-acre urban paradise stretching from the San Fernando Valley to Pacific Ocean.
Canyon Back Alliance and IMBA urge you to voice your disapproval at the possible interruption of the Canyonback Trail. To ensure trail access to this valuable resource, please send an email to today.
Canyonback Road is a public street that runs along a section of Canyonback Trail. A Homeowners Association (HOA), tried to privatize Canyonback Road’s northern section and lock it. This would have limited public access. Construction of Canyonback Gate was stopped before it was installed, thanks to strong public opposition and input from the IMBA-affiliated Concerned Off-Road Bicycle Association. However, construction of the barrier has resumed and we are now facing the threat of continued access.
Mountain bikers are urged by the IMBA to preserve trail access.
*Write a protest note and send it to Canyon Back Alliance. This group is supported by CORBA/IMBA. You can also fax your message at 310-201-2110. You can find a sample at
Canyonback Ridge is the location of a planned real estate development. It is located to the south and west of Canyonback Road. The developer plans to privatize the area and replace the public access trail with a private one. He also intends to restrict access by gated the trail/private road. Although the developer claims that pedestrian access will be allowed, the plan does not prevent future residents and their HOAs restricting or even prohibiting public access.
The HOA at Canyonback Road’s north end has renewed their plan to privatize the street and gate it. They propose to change the trail’s ridgeline from stable to unstable and make it landslide-ridden. The 2 mile bypass is not sustainable and therefore unacceptable.
This trail’s loss would mean that northern access to Dirt Mulholland’s popular Whoops Trail and Canyonback Trail would be cut off. Mulholland’s and Canyonback’s access points are used frequently by residents of the Valley as well as those who travel from other areas. They can be accessed via the I-405, which is located close to Canyonback. The Canyonback Trail’s planned gating would also result in the destruction of the historic loop trail linking the Canyonback and Westridge ridge areas.
