A valley that’s worth a peek

Oh, to have a grand valley in which to wander and unwind after hiking up a steep canyon trail for 45 minutes.

And were it not for the thunder of big guns, a stream of cougar paw prints on the trail or the curious coyote in the brush, my recent Saturday afternoon journey would have seemed downright idyllic.

But so it goes at the north end of Point Mugu State Park, at the extreme north end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in close proximity to the Point Mugu naval base.

You come here to get away, and you risk getting blown to bits, or clawed and gnawed upon.

But, alas, there are always risks associated with hiking, and I should note that you cannot get lost on the firing range while exploring this expansive wilderness park in southern Ventura County.

That was, however, the warning I received while embarking upon the La Jolla Canyon/La Jolla Valley loop trail network for the first time.

The woman, who was returning to the trailhead, also said that when I reached the top of the canyon trail, I’d spill into a meadow “that is just stunning.”

How true. The meadow unfurls beautifully, as does the sky, as one gains the plateau after a long ascent of a narrow, rocky and tree-lined canyon trail.

But a mile to the west -- cougar tracks point the way -- is a far more impressive sight: a magnificent green valley that spans miles.

I was not aware that such a valley existed in the Santa Monica Mountains. The scene is from a bygone era, when buffalo and wagon trains roamed the prairies.

It’s big-sky country, an hour’s drive from Los Angeles and gridlocked roadways.

My imagination conjured images of tepees far in the distance, of cowboys on horseback, of gunfights and massacres.

It must have been a wonderful existence for the Chumash Indians who once thrived here -- the park’s name is derived from the word “muwu,” which means beach -- before European explorers and missionaries ruined their way of life.

But, thankfully, it has retained its spirit and its wild side. Cougars, or mountain lions, co-exist with bobcats, deer, rodents, lizards and snakes.

There are posted warnings about hiking alone, yet that is the only way you can expect to see some of the larger wild animals.

It is also a good way to be clawed or gnawed upon, but again, you weigh the risks and minimize them by exercising caution and common sense.

In other words, don’t walk too softly -- you might startle a cat! -- and always carry a big stick.

I was walking a bit too softly, perhaps, and carrying only my camera when a large animal sprang from the tufts of hay-like brush 40 feet ahead of me.

I thought it was a deer, then feared it might be a cougar, but soon discovered it was only a coyote, which must have been napping.

It was still wearing its winter coat, and curious enough to stick around, but never let me get too close.

I thought of that scene in “Dances With Wolves” in which Kevin Costner becomes friendly with a wolf while stationed out West on a lonely prairie.

Finally, however, I inched a little too close and the coyote loped away, swiftly and easily, not turning around till it was on the far side of the valley.

That settled it. I had planned on completing the loop trail but I wasn’t sure I was even on the right trail -- the state parks maps are not always reliable.

So I retraced my steps through the valley and the meadow, and found the canyon trail bustling with descending hikers.

Where they’d all been -- because they weren’t in the valley -- remains a mystery to me.

Worth the effort

I returned to the park a week later with my brother and we completed the loop in three hours, covering nearly 10 miles. Highly recommended. Strenuous for the first 2 1/2 miles, easy thereafter.

Don’t get bitten

Rattlesnakes are emerging from hibernation throughout the Southland, and they’re bound to be ornery when they discover there’s no water to drink or green grass to slither through. Tread carefully!

Dixon anglers denied

Just as the male bass were emerging to find spawning beds for egg-laden female bass, the water at Dixon Lake in Escondido was drawn down 12 feet for repairs. Result: an interrupted and perhaps diminished spawn, and the postponement and certain diminishment of the sight-fishing season.

Too bad for anglers hoping to catch a particular record-worthy largemouth.

Last March 20, Mac Weakley of Carlsbad foul-hooked, weighed and released a 25-pound-1-ounce bass at Dixon.

If it were approved by the International Game Fish Assn. -- and it may not be because it was foul-hooked -- it would smash the 75-year-old record: a 22-4 bass caught in Georgia.

Weakley reportedly is still considering submitting a record application.

What to do ...

Free fly-casting courses are being offered by the Sierra Pacific Flyfishers on Saturdays through April 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Reseda High. For details, call (818) 888-1974.... The American Cetacean Society-L.A. Chapter’s annual Ultimate Whalewatch trip to Catalina Island’s west end is March 24 out of 22nd St. Landing in San Pedro. The trip coincides with the peaking northbound migration of gray whales through Southland waters. Cost is $50, or $40 for members. For details, call (310) 548-0966.

pete.thomas@latimes.com