After decades of work and land acquisition by numerous partners, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area will officially celebrate the grand opening of the Backbone Trail, a 67-mile trail that stretches from the city of Los Angeles to Ventura County. The free event is from 9 a.m. to noon today at Will Rogers State Historic Park.

“The Backbone Trail shows what a dedicated community can do if they set their minds to it,” Superintendent David Szymanski said in a release. “The Backbone Trail has been a 40-year labor for elected officials, parks agencies, volunteers, and philanthropists. When finished, the trail will form the spine of a 500-mile network of trails that connects the residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties to their public lands.”

The Backbone Trail traverses one of Southern California’s largest remaining tracts of undeveloped landscape, a well-preserved mix of chaparral-covered hillsides, oak woodlands, and rocky outcrop spires. Because overnight camping options are minimal at this point, the National Park Service recommends hiking the trail in sections and camping. The long-term vision is to create a small number of backcountry tent sites that would be available by permit.

One of the key actions to complete the trail was the donation of a 40-acre parcel of land in Zuma Canyon by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and fitness entrepreneur Betty Weider. The property, valued at more than $500,000, represents the largest private donation for the Backbone Trail.

“I am honored to accept this donation from two of our nation’s most recognizable proponents of fitness and physical activity,” Mr. Szymanski added.

In addition to this recent donation, the public has acquired more than 180 parcels, valued in excess of $100 million, to complete the route. California State Parks owns more than 60 percent of these lands.

“California State Parks is proud to have played a key role in protecting and preserving some of the most pristine and undeveloped sections of the Backbone Trail,” Craig Sap, district superintendent for California State Parks, said in a release. “We congratulate all of the partners, including volunteers, who worked for so long to make this long-held dream a reality.”

The primary sources of public funds were state and local park bonds, as well as the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.

“The Backbone Trail has been a more than 40-year journey to preserve, protect, and connect the parklands of these extraordinary mountains while providing recreational access for everyone who seeks the solace of nature here,” Joseph T. Edmiston, executive director for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, said in a release. “Its completion is a testament to the strength of our shared values, the power of idealism, and so many determined people – quite literally – on their hands and knees with spades in hand navigating the twists and turns of topography, land acquisition, and political will.”