TRAILBLAZER\Mugu Trail a rejuvenating hike.

Byline: Brett Pauly Daily News Staff Writer

You know you're in for a good hike when you come to the locked trailhead gate and there are signs with red slashes through symbols of dogs, bikes, horses, cigarettes and fires.

Wafflestompers only. No smoking to boot. Ahh, the purity of it all.

There is little reason to doubt that the rules are generally accepted along Mugu Peak Trail, at least there wasn't on a recent Saturday when I rambled over the moderate, 5-1/2-mile route in Point Mugu State Park.

Sure, there was an indelibly dreary cloud, but it was fog, not tobacco. And once you ascend above it, the dividends are obvious - light ocean breezes willing to prompt a kite into flight; native bunchgrasses long ago overgrazed or plowed under attempting a comeback; and seldom-seen views of Boney Mountain in all its cragginess. Would you believe a waterfall, too?

Yes, just about three-quarters of a mile into the out-and-back circuit, visitors are greeted by one of the area's finest cascades, a refreshing vision in an oft-dry landscape.

Trekkers approach the falls along La Jolla Canyon Trail, which begins a few feet above sea level and rises 375 feet, paralleling a dry but deeply cut streambed teeming with boulders and the sounds of subterranean flows. Years ago the canyon was a sandstone quarry that provided bedrock for Pacific Coast Highway.

Giant coreopsis, with its yellow flowers, blossoms from March to May. Resist the temptation to collect the bright blooms; the fragile shrub is a threatened species.

Where the creek finally does make an appearance, the water is green with algae at a fording spot. The slimy growth dangles beside the 20-foot waterfall, but it is overshadowed by the sprinkling splendor and its wadeable pool. It can be slippery around the edges, so tread cautiously.

Railroad ties forged into stairs lead to riparian flora and slabs of rock impaled in the trail following long-distance tumbles. Reeds rise high into the brush, which yields to black sage, dried yucca and rows of snarled but distinctive mountain mahogany that were singed in the park's 1993 wildfire.

After two switchbacks in about a half-mile, a stand of oaks - those great survivors - marks a fork (590 feet) with La Jolla Valley Loop Trail. Turn left, scamper across a creek and travel less than a half-mile up and down past prickly pear cactus to a signpost in the flat chaparral (620 feet) that denotes Mugu Peak Trail. Bear left.

To the north lies La Jolla Valley Natural Preserve, established in 1972 at this wide meadow to protect the indigenous greenway that was undermined by pioneers and the seeds of foreign plants they brought with them. Later, Ventura County settlers pastured livestock and tilled the land to plant barley.

Slowly the introduced species came to dominate the grassland, and now it is on the mend. It is unclear if the original grasses will recover.

From the signpost, the trail dips to a brook, then climbs nearly 700 feet in less than 1-1/4 miles to the rounded, double summit of 1,266-foot Mugu Peak. The final pitch is a short but steep bushwhack up an obvious, well-trampled grade.

En route to the goal, you may hear the muffled echoes of hikers and surf breaking below - the first evidence of the ocean on overcast days. Here, too, where the 800-foot cloud cover finally gives way, you will detect the remarkable staircase of Boney Mountain's stern, southwestern face.

You may also notice hawks, crows, swallows, dragonflies, lizards and other creatures that visit the crest, if, that is, you can see past the ugliness of the white, futuristic buildings atop neighboring Laguna Peak. For all good things, there's often a blemish, and this high-tech facility is the flaw here.

Sign in on the summit registry, stationed in a cylindrical plastic housing atop a rock pile that perhaps was once used as a windbreak or ceremonial site. Return the same way.

Trail notes: Mugu Peak Trail is found on the Point Mugu topographic map.

Its starting point, La Jolla Canyon Trail, offers access to numerous routes and trail systems, including the west side of the Backbone Trail, La Jolla Valley Loop Trail, Overlook Trail, Wood Canyon Trail and Big Sycamore Trail.

Car camping is available near the trailhead; three backcountry campgrounds are found about two miles north of the trailhead - or nearly a mile to the right at the merger of La Jolla Canyon Trail and La Jolla Valley Loop Trail.

Poison oak early on and cactus near the summit make gaiters advisable. They might also offer some protection - or at least some peace of mind - from the snakes, including red diamond and western rattlers, that frequent the diverse trek.

If you want to wade in the waterfall's pool, bring sandals; sharp rocks may prohibit bare-footing it.

Archeological resources exist throughout the region. Park signs remind visitors not to excavate, remove, destroy or deface any features.

For information, call the state Department of Parks and Recreation at [phone].

IF YOU'RE GOING . . .

Take Pacific Coast Highway (1) west from Malibu to Point Mugu State Park, and turn right at Ray Miller Trailhead/La Jolla Canyon Campground. Veer left to the parking area. The day-use fee is $2.

Informative signboards describing the La Jolla Valley grassland are situated at the trailhead; sinks and flush toilets are 100 feet beyond.

No dogs, bikes, horses, cigarettes or campfires are permitted on La Jolla Canyon Trail or its branches, including Mugu Peak Trail.

Set aside 3-1/2 hours for the hike.

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Photo (color) Hikers who tackle the Mugu Peak Trail will come upon this waterfall less than a mile into the journey. Bring sandals for wading in the pool below. Brett Pauly / Daily News Box IF YOU'RE GOING (see text) Map MUGU PEAK TRAIL Daily News