![]() ![]() The last view of the day is from the top of a tunnel. Here, I got amazing views of the ocean at points, and got to slow down and enjoy the many wildflowers that were starting to bloom, like the wild cucumber and mustard plants. This section is only 2.3 miles long, and while it does dip all the way down to the bottom of the canyon, it’s a very gradual section of trail. The last section of this quick and cruisey day for me was Latigo Canyon to Kanan Dume Road. I could see the road that I needed to cross to get to my last section of trail for the day, but I would meander for about a mile just trying to reach it. The trail tends to send you up to nearly the tops of mountains, only to then have you hike down to the deep bottoms of canyons, and then back up out of them. The canyons in this section were a series of stream crossings and lush green plants, so I made a point to slow down and enjoy the rare foliage here in the Santa Monicas, since I know it will quickly disappear with the heat of summer.Īfter the Castro Peak area, though, the trail starts to do the other annoying thing that the BBT does on the regular (the first being fire road sections). I was moving with my pack in a way I didn’t think I could, and I ended up in the Castro Peak area a lot sooner than I’d originally thought I would. The rock here was beautiful and pale pink and orange, and I got to tell a few people about my mission to spread better education surrounding responsible recreation in the Santa Monica Mountains.įrom Corral Canyon, the trail dips down again into a long and gradual section that goes into a deep and green canyon below.ĭespite my morning’s steep fire road climb, I cruised through the canyon quickly. Here, I got to hike on sandstone rather than a dirt trail, and that will always be one of my favorite types of terrain to hike on. From there, the BBT climbs up again along the rocks of Corral Canyon, which will forever be one of my favorite parts of the BBT, even though it’s short. Once I got to my high point of the day, I felt like I was cruising. It was steep, it was along one of the BBT’s many famous fire road sections, and it was the first place I saw a potential mountain lion track, which was unsettling in the cooler temperatures of the morning. The ascent out of Malibu Creek was hard, don’t get me wrong. While I was dreading the steep uphill I was going to be facing almost immediately, I also knew that I only had 12 miles to clock that day, which kept my mindset in good spirits. The morning air was frosty, which was perfect for the first section of trail: a 1,500-foot climb out of Malibu Creek State Park. I was fresh off a zero-day and my feet were feeling better after my struggle on day two. Then grab a bite at one of our tasty local restaurants, pick up a few t-shirts and souvenirs, and spend the night in one of our towns comfy beds.Day four on the Backbone Trail will always be remembered by me as my easiest day on trail. Then travel through the Jefferson National Forest to the community of Taylors Valley along the Laurel River (watch out for the trout in the stream) back to Damascus. On this section of the trail (Whitetop to Damascus) you will ride your rental bike from Whitetop Station down to historic Green Cove Station. Start at one of the Creeper Trails bike shops in Damascus for a bike rental and shuttle services to the top and take a leisurely ride downhill 17 miles to town. ![]() This is an easy biking adventure that you, your friends, and family will talk about for a long time. The Virginia Creeper Trail is rich in beauty and regional history. This former rail bed passes through the Mount Rogers National Recreation area and the highland country of southwest Virginia. The Va Creeper Trail is open year round for trail runs, hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The Virginia Creeper stretches 34 miles from Abingdon, Virginia down through to the lovely town of Damascus, Va (known as the Heart of the Va Creeper) along the Whitetop Laurel River and up to its highest point Whitetop Station near the NC State Line at Whitetop, Virginia. The Virginia Creeper Trail is a recreational trail (rails to trails) located in Southwest Virginia (SWVA). ![]()
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