Malibu Creek loop takes hikers off beaten path

There are no strips of torn clothing on the trail, revealing the way.

But there is a shrieking yellow hawk perched on the treetop, indicating a right turn.

And in a distant clearing, where sky unfurls widely above a break in foliage, two resident ravens direct traffic from overhead.

Hikers can place their trust in these avian signposts, but they’re highly mobile and, thus, untrustworthy.

So it’s best simply to follow the signs. . . .

High Road to adventure

Malibu Creek State Park is perhaps the premier Santa Monica Mountains wilderness getaway.

It boasts an idyllic valley and vast meadow lined with eucalyptus groves and sprinkled with oaks.

Flanking the valley is a robust creek, refuge for mallards, coots and herons and, when the weather warms, large round turtles who sun atop dry flat rocks as though in some reptilian spa.

The High Road trail alongside the creek is the main thoroughfare, a favorite among casual hikers en route to Century Lake or beyond to the “MASH” set, where remnants of the 4077th and the Korean foothills backdrop serve as reminders of a bygone era.

But other magical aspects include the many narrow trails that stray from the beaten path.

There are the Lost Cabin, Chaparral, Grasslands, Tapia Spur and Phantom trails. Then there’s the Cage Creek Trail-to-Lookout Trail loop.

It’s not long or particularly strenuous, but it’s an adventurous, cardio-pumping diversion from what otherwise might merely be a stroll through a pretty setting.

It’s 1.5 miles from trail head to the Cage Creek turnoff, about a mile on the meandering, rising and falling loop trail, and 1.3 miles from the Lookout Trail exit back to trail head.

I’ve hiked this loop three times and twice a red-shouldered hawk, its breast feathers yellowish in the sunlight, stood sentry atop a barren tree at the Cage Creek turnoff.

With shrill cries it announced who was boss.

Each time, in either of two clearings on the loop trail, ravens appeared overhead, squawking in erratic flight, as if discussing this odd intruder.

The trail follows trickling Cage Creek upward through a tree tunnel toward a broad clearing, and connects to Lookout Trail.

Hikers reenter the trees, following tracks and stepping carefully over coyote or bobcat scat placed mine-like in the precise middle of the pathway.

It’s an eerie stretch, dark and so silent you may feel as though you’re being watched.

Beyond this tunnel, though, is the spacious opening at Cistern Trail junction -- an ideal resting place; the high point from which you might spot the raucous hawk below.

The ravens, by this point, will have noticed you.

The rest of the trail is downhill and mostly open. Vantage points afford panoramic views of the valley.

Back on the High Road you’ll begin encountering people, and they’ll become more numerous as you plod closer to civilization.

Alongside the creek you might spook to flight a small flock of mallards. But they’ll come back, and so, probably, will you.

Whale tales

* Top sighting: Not many have seen a humpback whale lob-tailing 300 times over the course of 30 minutes, but volunteers of the Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center did just that. Visitors are welcome.

* Trouble in paradise: There’ve been at least three known vessel-whale collisions this season in Hawaiian waters, where thousands of humpbacks will remain through March breeding, calving and nursing.

Jeffrey S. Walters, co-manager of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, said all three involved small tour boats and that the incidents are under investigation.

The whales swam off, so the extent of their injuries is unknown, but troubling to sanctuary staff is that the average annual number of known collisions has increased from one or two to about six, Walters added.

Wounded pride

The Western Flyer, pride of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, ran aground on an unmarked shoal last week while entering La Paz Bay, forcing the indefinite postponement of a four-month exploration of the Sea of Cortez.

There were no serious injuries and no spilled oil, an institute spokeswoman said, but the crew is understandably discouraged.

The vessel had just arrived at the southern Baja California port to pick up scientists who had flown there in advance when the accident occurred, as the captain was maneuvering to avoid an oncoming boat.

Mussel madness

Hundreds of anglers are expected to attend the Casitas Municipal Water District’s March 4 hearing to determine what measures are required to prevent an invasion of Lake Casitas by potentially devastating quagga mussels.

The most dramatic measure under consideration is a ban on private boats at the Ventura County reservoir, one of the nation’s top largemouth bass fisheries.

Quagga mussels have spread through Colorado River Aqueduct waters, and it’s feared they will hitch a ride to Casitas via boat hulls, bilges and live wells.

Presently, boaters must pass a pre-launch inspection, and that may soon become standard procedure at most non-infected Southland reservoirs.

The 5:30 p.m. hearing is at Nordhoff High in Ojai.

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pete.thomas@latimes.com