The Santa Monicas’ : Guiding Light : McAuley, 72, Shares His Knowledge of Geology and History of Mountain Range With Hikers

Free advice for hikers: For a good time in the Santa Monica Mountains, take along Milt McAuley. And if you cannot get the real thing, his book will do nicely.

McAuley, a 72-year-old retired Air Force major, is considered the authority on hiking in the Santa Monicas. A lifelong hiker and outdoorsman, he has written seven books, all focused on local mountain areas. His first book, “Hiking Trails of the Santa Monica Mountains,” is going into its fifth printing.

In addition to his writing, McAuley also is a popular hike leader, a Pied Piper who has guided thousands into the mountains over the past two decades. When the Wilderness Institute announces that McAuley will be leading a hike, “We have to turn people away,” said Brad Childs, executive director of the Agoura Hills organization. “Would I call him the ‘Sage of the Santa Monicas?’ Yeah, that’s a good one.”

A bearish man with an ambling gait and a deep, growling voice, McAuley, who lives in Canoga Park with his wife Maxine, has a great knowledge of the flora, geology and history of the mountains and a deep appreciation for nature. He has been on just about every trail in the Santa Monicas, writing in detail about dozens of them in his books.

“If you were to blindfold me, kidnap me and dump me in the mountains, I could probably tell you where I was,” McAuley said.

Recently, McAuley took a reporter hiking on state park land off Old Topanga Canyon Road. “This trail is a little confused--it rambles around,” he said, crossing a creek on a trail that leads to Topanga Meadows. Carrying a notebook, he makes a list of every wildflower he sees, noting whether they’re blooming, have gone to seed or dropped their seed.

“Every trail is different,” he said. “This one has a flowering ash. You don’t see many of them in the Santa Monica Mountains.”

Despite his scholarly intentions, McAuley takes time to smell the roses, a blooming natural California rose, to be specific. “They say this is a dry year, but I’ve never seen this many flowers in the mountains,” he said. “I think the March rains are the reason.”

Nothing seems too arcane or insignificant to escape McAuley’s attention. “Look at this stinky monkey flower,” he said, stopping on the trail and examining a gangly plant. “It has an odd thing--a two-lobed stigma. Touch it with a small stick and it closes. Kids love seeing this.”

McAuley enjoys giving people, especially children, their first hiking experience. A dedicated environmentalist who belongs to several activist organizations, he takes a low-key approach to outdoors education. “You don’t have to preach conservation,” he said. “All you have to do is bring people out and let them see all this.”

McAuley’s love for the outdoors came naturally. Growing up in Oregon, “You inherit the appreciation for open space,” he said. His parents also influenced him. His father was an engineer for the Southern Pacific Railroad, and one year the family lived in a tent, following a work train through Oregon’s rugged wilderness.

“If you’re introduced to the mountains early, they’re hard to get out of your system,” McAuley said.

Moving to Los Angeles in 1961, McAuley introduced himself to the Santa Monica Mountains. In the late 1970s, he began writing his hiking guide to the Santa Monicas, despite virtually no training as a writer.

McAuley’s trail guides are an invaluable resource for hikers because they contain not only interesting information but also detailed maps.

It was only after “Hiking Trails of the Santa Monica Mountains” became a success--about 25,000 copies have been sold over the years--that McAuley decided to take a writing course at Pierce College. Far from being bland, his prose is descriptive and evocative. In the introduction to “Hiking Trails of Point Mugu State Park,” he writes:

“We will sense the velvet green aura of towering ferns as we wend along a trail beside a clean and cool stream. We will leave the verdant hollows that seldom suffer the blast of wind and sun and climb to sculptured ridges that overlook rugged, boulder-filled canyons below. Lofty crags, standing like sentinels guarding the land beyond, loom on the eastern horizon.”

McAuley shrugs off his writing ability. “I’ve never considered myself very good at writing,” he said. “But when somebody uses my books, I like to take them by the hand verbally and lead them into the mountains.”

Milt McAuley’s Top Five Hikes 1. Tapia Park to Century Lake and the Rock Pool in Malibu Creek State Park (plus return trip)--Magnificent oaks, sandstone pinnacles. Trail head: back end of Tapia Park off Las Virgenes Road. 2. La Jolla Valley Loop--Waterfalls, rare native grasslands. Trail head: Ray Miller Trail Head in the parking lot for La Jolla Canyon, Pt. Mugu State Park, off Pacific Coast Highway. 3. Eagle Spring Loop--Easy side trips to Eagle Rock and Cathedral Rock. Trail head: southeast corner of the parking lot in Topanga State Park, off Entrada Road. 4. Rancho Sierra Vista to the Old Cabin in upper Big Sycamore Canyon (and back)--Heavily wooded valleys, huge sycamores. Trail head: Rancho Sierra Vista, off Potrero Road in Newbury Park. 5. Castro Crest Loop--Spectacular views. Trail head: at the end of Corral Canyon Road, about 5 1/2 miles north of Pacific Coast Highway.