OUT THERE: NO REST FOR THE WEARY ON BBT.

Byline: Terry Wood Special to the Daily News

Searching for a unique night spot in Southern California? How about a patch of dirt along the Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains?

At present, the 70-mile track meandering from Pacific Palisades to Point Mugu State Park in Ventura County is not well-suited to wilderness-style overnight camping because of the scarcity of sites that are from roads and near dependable water sources. In fact, only one official backcountry campground - Musch Trail Camp in Topanga State Park - is located directly on the footpath.

However, as Backbone Trail Month continues, shrewd ``through-hikers'' and

equestrians have discovered out-of-the-way overnight options that allow them to pursue the course in continuous fashion.

``It's how I got introduced to backpacking,'' said Don Bowen, a maintenance worker at the Santa Monica's Circle X Ranch parkland site who has twice teamed up with Point Mugu State Park employee Art Flores to hike the entire length of the route. ``It's far enough away from the city that you get a real wilderness feeling, but you don't have to worry about bears the way you do in the Sierras. But here it takes a lot of planning to make sure you have access to water, which is usually not a problem in a place like the Sierras.''

Musch Camp lies 10 trail miles northwest of the BBT's easternmost trailhead at Will Rogers State Historic Park and offers piped water, flush toilets, picnic tables and a horse corral - luxurious amenities by backcountry standards. The overnight usage fee is $3.

Another trailside camp, alternately called Backcountry and Sandstone, sits within Boney Ridge atop striking Circle X Ranch but has been closed since a fire in 1993.

Danielson Ranch group campground is situated where the trail meets Big Sycamore Canyon but requires a minimum of 10 users and a maximum of 50 to arrange an overnight visit.

What's a backpacking duo to do? Consider Bowen and Flores' itinerary. Though hardly roughing it, the plan keeps trekkers close to the trail. Their four overnight stops, hoofing east to west:

Musch Camp, the end to a 10-mile first day from the trail's east put-in point.

Malibu Creek State Park campground, 14 trail miles from Musch and a mile detour north on a trail through Tapia Park. Camping is available all year; the fee is $16 Fridays and Saturdays and $15 each of the other five nights.

``When we reach the campground at Malibu Creek State Park, we call Domino's, order pizza and have it delivered,'' Bowen noted with a laugh. ``After a couple of days on the trail, that's something we look forward to - and it makes us think it's not so bad hiking close to a city.''

A cabin at Calamigos Ranch, another 14 trail miles west, then a detour of less than a mile north on Kanan Dume Road. The commercial convention and meeting facility will cater to through-hikers if space is available. Expect to pay between $100 and $170, but the accommodations are understandably more upscale than those offered at other ``camps.'' Advance reservations are recommended. Information: [phone].

Happy Hollow campground at Circle X Ranch, 12 trail miles farther west, plus almost two miles of detouring via trail from the Backbone Trailhead, found on Yerba Buena Road.

Typically closed to vehicles through the winter, it usually has no potable water until Memorial Day. However, it will remain open to hikers and the fee is waived. (A $6 nightly fee is initiated when water service is reinstated.)

One of the on-site chemical toilets may, or may not, be left open for use in the coming months. Hikers must stop at the nearby Circle X Ranger Station and obtain a permit for overnight camping. (Note: The campground will be closed for at least 72 hours following winter rains.)

As you can see by a couple of the options presented above, a strolling wilderness footpath that lies so close to civilization has its benefits, though hard-core backpackers may well want to stay as far as from those ``benefits'' as possible.

One option for those in the bare-essentials camp is to explore the 11 backcountry sites in Upper La Jolla Camp and Lower La Jolla Camp. Found about a half-mile off the official BBT route and a few miles from its westernmost end - the Ray Miller Trailhead in Point Mugu State Park - they are open year-round. The fee is $3 per night.

A proposal to establish 11 or 12 BBT backcountry campsites, spaced about six miles apart, was included in the draft summary report of the Santa Monica Mountains Area Recreational Trails Coordination Project in February. It has met with mixed reaction.

Milt McAuley, a Backbone Trail advocate who has authored several guidebooks on trails in the Santa Monicas, does not favor the idea. ``It creates another place where people might leave trash or accidentally start a fire,'' he said.

With many other projects and acquisitions taking higher priority at the moment ($4.6 million must be raised to purchase 420 acres of private land in order to complete the final six miles of the BBT), no one is anticipating swift action on campsite development.

``We're working on a general management plan for the entire area,'' said Scott Erickson, deputy superintendent for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. ``We have seen a strong consensus for developing some campsites, but there are many issues to be dealt with in the plan at this time. I can't say now that their development will or will not happen.''

Day hiking thus remains the preferred method of experiencing the BBT, and, with car shuttles, the entire Backbone Trail can be covered in four or five days by those who are both ambitious and fit.

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Map

MAP: CAMPING OPPORTUNITIES ON AND NEAR THE BACKBONE TRAIL

Dionisio Munoz / Daily News