BABES IN THE WOODS : Nature Treks for Children Close to the Concrete of L.A.

Chubby hands reach for leaves, little fingers squeeze them, rub them, liberating fragrance that will cling to young skin for hours. The children sniff; they open their eyes wide with delight, or crinkle their noses with perplexity.

Overhead, a soaring red-tailed hawk screeches. Unseen in the trees, a mockingbird whistles as if in whimsical response.

This is not Disneyland, not a fabricated fantasy of sights and sounds and smells. This is the real world, the one that grew up with only sporadic help--or interference--from people. It is a world that hides out close to the seemingly endless concrete of the Los Angeles area.

It is nature. Not exactly pristine wilderness, but for many of the children living in this congested and overbuilt megalopolis, it will do.

“I call this our Indian spice rack,” docent Jan Carlson is saying, introducing her audience of five mothers and six children to some of Franklin Canyon’s black and purple sage, to its common buckwheat and to a plant called pearly everlasting, which some children call “the pancake plant” for its maple-syrup smell.

Kids Pay Attention, Mostly

Carlson is leading a hike called Babes in the Woods, an outdoor trek for children 3 and younger, under the auspices of the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom, or WODOC. Remarkably, the tots pay attention for most of the 1 1/2-hour walk.

She leads them to the small pond in the canyon north of Beverly Hills where they can scoop up minnows and touch the slippery creatures before dropping them back in the water. Before their hike is over, the children will see wild mustard (the deciding ingredient in what they put on hot dogs), a dead snake and the many-chambered home of a pack rat.

And today there will be a real treat: baby ducks swimming in a little cove in the reservoir. Because the hills are alive with predators, Carlson explains, ducklings rarely survive here, and mother ducks usually find safer places to lay eggs.

Cindy Cohen-Payton, hiking with daughter Amanda, 3, finds the outdoor experience a welcome break.

“If you are a parent, it’s nice to do different things with the children,” she says. “They know what street sweepers are like. I think this makes them aware of things other than the city. . . . Hopefully, it will make them more aware of the environment and the need to take care of it.”

That, said a WODOC spokeswoman, is exactly the point of the programs offered by the facility.

Seeking especially to reach inner-city schoolchildren “who never see a blade of grass,” WODOC volunteer docents lead walks around the 600-acre nature preserve in the Santa Monica Mountains five days a week throughout the school year. Tuesdays and Thursdays, the walks are geared to groups with special needs, such as disabled or autistic children.

And on July 23, the Douglas classroom will open its outdoors to all interested visitors when it presents “Children Celebrate the Mountains,” an afternoon smorgasbord of mountain delights.

Environmentalist groups such as the Cousteau Society and the Wilderness Institute will sponsor exhibits, the Satwiwa Native American Cultural Center will demonstrate native dances and arts, and trained docents will lead nature walks. In keeping with WODOC’s outreach goals, five busloads of children who live in the inner city will be brought to the event, courtesy of a grant from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

“Children Celebrate the Mountains” is being sponsored by the Conservancy in cooperation with WODOC and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Visitors should take a picnic lunch and a blanket for the free event, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Franklin Canyon Ranch house lawn. Shows by J. P. Nightingale and the Satwiwa dancers will begin at noon and 2 p.m. More information: (213) 456-7807.

The wide, flat trails of WODOC are among a number of paths parents are finding into unpaved pockets of the Southland. To the surprise of many, pleasant areas to take children hiking are plentiful, close and usually free--but it sometimes takes a little effort to find them.

“It’s surprising how wild some places are in the middle of the city,” says Jane Campbell, chairman of the Sierra Club Little Hikers committee in Orange County. A longtime camping enthusiast, she recently took on the task of finding good local outings for the group after the birth of her son.

She found sprawling O’Neill Regional Park, in Trabuco Canyon, which offers self-guiding trails, ranger-led hikes, a nature center, campfire presentations and special programs for campers. She found the tide pools of Crystal Cove State Beach, at the bottom of dramatic wildflower-covered bluffs. She found Fountain Valley’s Mile Square Park, with its biking and hiking trails and duck pond.

The group’s goal, she says, is “to teach children to enjoy the outdoors.” In her family, it has worked: “My little boy’s first words were ‘moo’ for ‘moon’ and ‘buh’ for ‘bird.’ ”

With the help of experts, children on Little Hikers outings have learned to identify animal footprints. Campbell has used kitchen utensils to show how each bird’s beak is designed for the kind of food that bird eats. Parents with backgrounds in geology and biology have offered insights on the land and its inhabitants.

“More and more people are getting interested in doing

things outdoors with their kids,” observes Richard Gentilucci, chairman of the club’s Angeles Chapter Little Hikers committee. “The parents and children (on the group’s trips) spend a day outdoors exploring the environment as well as the relationship between the parent and child.”

Because all activities are free and Sierra Club membership is not required, Gentilucci says there is no way to keep track of how many families are participating. But many who do, he notes, keep coming back for more.

And there is a wealth of more or less natural area to explore in and around Los Angeles--even in the heat of summer.

Shore and Mountain Walks

For aspiring hikers who favor the shore, the club’s guide “Day Walks in the Santa Monica Mountains” suggests Point Mugu State Park, which includes 100 miles of marked trails and a great sand dune to scramble onto and gaze seaward (maps are available at the ranger station). Will Rogers State Historical Park’s easy trail to Inspiration Point offers grand views of the city, the ocean and the mountains to the north (brochure with map is free at the park).

Appropriate in cooler months, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Joshua Tree National Monument have gentle trails for those who prefer the desert. Palm Canyon, on Agua Caliente Indian land just south of Palm Springs, hides a trail that gently climbs through a stunning oasis with a crystal-clear stream flanked by thousands of indigenous palm trees.

But you needn’t stop there.

Many city and county parks have extensive trail systems, nature centers and organized outings. Larger Los Angeles County parks with such facilities include Placerita Canyon Natural Area, Eaton Canyon Park and Whittier Narrows Regional Recreation Area. But the increasing popularity of the facilities is spurring the addition of small nature centers to more and more parks.

“The programs are so popular that during the school year, it takes a year or years to get a reservation to bring your class,” says Sheila Ortega, public information officer for the county parks department.

Institute Classes

The nonprofit Wilderness Institute offers classes in various settings for beginners as well as experienced outdoors-people. For fees ranging up to $48, the institute will introduce children ages 4-12 to bugs, snakes, stream-side communities, fossils, caves and more. And for those looking for a wholesome way to celebrate a birthday, naturalists will lead customized outdoor explorations for up to 20 children.

At state parks, rangers lead day and evening walks and explain about the stars, flora, fauna and local history--talks that may prick the imagination of parents and older children but can set toddlers to fidgeting. Some parks, such as Leo Carrillo State Beach, have programs for 7- to 12-year-olds to become certified junior rangers.

Shorter Excursions

WODOC, on the other hand, designs several walks for the younger children with their short attention spans. In addition to its public Babes in the Woods walks, the center’s docents lead Babes at the Beach, also for tots 3 months to 3 years old, and Tikes on Hikes, for children 4 to 6 years old. Touching and smelling plants and interacting with wildlife are part of all the walks. In addition, trails from the ranch house are open to hikers who want to explore on their own.

Maggie Kortchmar, who took 11-month-old daughter Grace exploring with WODOC’s Babes in the Woods group, is finding that her little child is leading her into a world she didn’t know existed.

“I never, until I had a baby, realized there was all this stuff to do around here,” Kortchmar says. “There is nature in Los Angeles.”

Parents who want to take the kids back to nature--without having to plan a major trip--can tap these resources:

WODOC, P.O. Box 2488, Beverly Hills 90213; (213) 858-3834. Nature center; free, docent-led walks for children and parents in upper Franklin Canyon, reservations required; independent hiking in lower canyon.

Wilderness Institute, 23018 Ventura Blvd., Suite 202, Woodland Hills 91364; (818) 887-7831. Classes, clinics and trips in various locations; fees.

Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, 3550 W. 6th St., Suite 321, Los Angeles 90020; (213) 387-4287. Orange County Group, P.O. Box 5367, Fullerton 92635; (714) 997-2220. Education-oriented walks are free, club membership not required.

County and state parks offices are listed in their respective Government Pages of the phone book. Information on National Park Service programs: (818) 888-3770. Many cities also operate large parks with good hiking and picnicking for families.