Santa Monica Mountain trail reopens after November fire

All 67 miles of a popular trail in a sprawling wilderness park in Southern California have been reopened, eight months after the largest fire to ever hit the park.

The final 6 miles of the Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area reopened today after remaining closed since the November Woolsey Fire burned 88% of the National Park Service land.

The fire destroyed 120 feet of retaining wall and littered the trail with dangerous tree limbs.

The Backbone Trail, running through the coastal mountain range west of Los Angeles, was completed in 2016 after a 40-year effort to acquire the land.

Only small park sites remain closed. Visitors are being asked to stay on the newly restored trails for risk of causing more damage.