Backbone Trail, National Recreation Trail in Santa Monica Mountains, US

Backbone Trail is a long-distance route that stretches through the Santa Monica Mountains, connecting two major state parks in California. The path traverses varying elevations and landscape types that accommodate different activities including hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding.

Construction began in the early 1980s, joining existing trails and backcountry roads into one route across the Santa Monica Mountains, with the National Park Service, California State Parks and private parties cooperating. In 2016 land acquired from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Betty Weider enabled a new section east of Yerba Buena Road. The trail opened as a National Recreation Trail on 4 June 2016 at Will Rogers State Historic Park; after the 2018 Woolsey Fire it fully reopened in July 2019.

The name translates as "backbone" because the route runs the length of the Santa Monica Mountains. Chumash villages once stood throughout these mountains, and the chaparral and coastal sage scrub that supported them still lines most of the path. The Mishe Mokwa Trail at Circle X Ranch passes weathered red volcanic formations of Boney Mountain and the Echo Cliffs.

The path has multiple entry points and starting locations that allow visitors to choose different sections based on their fitness level or available time. Much of the trail opens to mountain bikers, while hikers have full access everywhere, so visitors should check which sections work best for their planned activity.

The trail's high point lies near Sandstone Peak, which at 3,111 ft (948 m) is the highest summit in the Santa Monica Mountains. From there and from nearby Inspiration Point, hikers look out over the Pacific Ocean, the Channel Islands and the surrounding ranges.