Getting away from it all doesn’t mean going far.

They are walks on the wild side.

Though pavement and buildings cover most of the South Bay, there is enough of nature left--principally the coastline and the still-rustic areas of the peninsula--to offer a good taste of the outdoors within view of urban high-rises.

Some walks are quite organized--such as those at Torrance’s Madrona Marsh, bird-watching at the South Coast Botanic Gardens on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, or hiking along the coast and on the peninsula.

Attractions such as coastal tide pools are simply gifts of nature readily reached by pathways.

Others, such as the lakeside path at the verdant 231-acre Harbor Regional Park in Harbor City or the 3-mile canyon trail at Peck Park Recreation Center in San Pedro, have been informally created by people in search of scenic walks or wilderness runs.

“People come just to get away from the streets and people,� said Maile Marquandt, senior director at Peck.

Kimball Garrett, ornithology collection manager for the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, says bird-watching can be interesting “anywhere along the coastline,� including King Harbor in Redondo Beach, which is best-known for pleasure boats and restaurants. There are “diving birds in winter, loons and diving ducks, and lots of gulls, terns and pelicans.�

And the peninsula has a bird that is unique to the locale: the California gnatcatcher, a gray bird with a mostly black tail. “It has recently been recognized as a distinct species,� Garrett said. “It lives in a few remaining stands of coastal sage, scrub and cactus on the peninsula.�

Shirley Turner, a board member of Friends of Madrona Marsh, calls the preserve “nature without going two hours out of town.�

People can see it Saturdays between 7:30 and 11:30 a.m. when Torrance city naturalist Pete White guides a walk through the 42-acre marsh. There also are walks Wednesdays during the same hours.

Marked by tule reeds and cattails, the marsh is a remnant of a once-vast wetland that stretched from the Los Angeles River in San Pedro to Marina del Rey. Local naturalists say you could once row a boat from the harbor to the marina area, but today the natural wetlands of Harbor Regional Park and Madrona Marsh are all that remains.

Madrona is still home to hawks and waterfowl such as egrets, heron and ducks. However, the most sought-after attraction has become a group of elusive red foxes. “They hide, and they’re tough to find,� White said.

Bird-watchers will gather at 8 a.m. Sunday at the botanic gardens for one of two regular monthly excursions. The second one will be Aug. 17. The 3-hour bird-watching excursions are free, but admission to the gardens costs $3 for adults and $1.50 for seniors and children.

“We walk through most of the garden and see how many species of birds are there,� said Eric Brooks, who has been leading groups for 15 years and also teaches a course in bird-watching at the gardens under the auspices of Harbor College in Wilmington.

Brooks calls the activity “wonderfully relaxing, a lot like fishing.� And all it takes to do it, he said, are binoculars, a bird book, and the ability to concentrate and be quiet enough to hear the sounds of the birds.

“Calls and songs are the best way to identify birds,� he said.

Hikers have an abundance of riches every week, thanks to the Sierra Club Palos Verdes South Bay Group, which has a regular beach hike from the Redondo Pier to Malaga Cove in Palos Verdes Estates on Monday evenings and hikes on the peninsula on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

“Hiking is very good aerobic exercise, it tones up the body, and you see beautiful places,� said Nancy Sorrenti, chairwoman of the Sierra Club chapter, adding that it doesn’t take special clothes or equipment, “just good-soled shoes and at least a quart of water.�

“We go hiking, unless there is rain or an earthquake,� she said.

OUTDOOR ATTRACTIONS:

Madrona Marsh--Nature walks Wednesdays and Saturdays, 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Parking off of Plaza del Amo between Madrona and Maple avenues, Torrance. Friends of Madrona Marsh will conduct special 3-hour walk on Sept. 24, beginning at 8 a.m. and focusing on wildlife marking the start of the migratory season, and Sept. 25, beginning at 10 a.m. and focusing on plants.

Bird-watching--South Coast Botanic Gardens, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd. First Sunday and third Wednesday of each month beginning at 8 a.m. Bird-watching is free, but admission to gardens costs $3 for adults, $1.50 for seniors, students and children over 12.

Sierra Club Hikes--Mondays, 7 p.m. Meet at the library in Veterans Park, Catalina Avenue and Torrance Boulevard, Redondo Beach. Walk five miles to and from Malaga Cove School. An easy hike with “pretty views of the sea and sand,� said Sierra Club’s Nancy Sorrenti.

Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Meet at 8th Street and Weymouth Avenue, San Pedro. A strenuous 4- or 5-mile peninsula hike that’s “not for beginners,� Sorrenti says.

Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. Meet at Peninsula Center in front of Reuben’s restaurant, Hawthorne Boulevard and Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates. Slow, moderate and fast hikes through Rolling Hills and Rancho Palos Verdes.

Every third Sunday, 9 a.m. Meet at the end of Crenshaw Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes. A 2-hour hike followed by brunch.

Nature Trail--Point Vicente Interpretive Center, 31501 Palos Verdes Drive South, Rancho Palos Verdes. Free self-guided, cliff-top nature trail. Attractions are an abundance of purple sea lavender, Japanese coral trees, wild roses, 30 or 40 other plant species, and ocean views. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free parking; $1 admission to center, which contains exhibits on history of the peninsula.

Tide pools--Starfish, sea crabs, anemones and other sea creatures. Near Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, Abalone Cove Beach (near the Wayfarers’ Chapel) in Rancho Palos Verdes, and Malaga Cove (below Roessler Pool) in Palos Verdes Estates. Free access but $3 parking at Abalone Cove (8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily) and $4 parking at Cabrillo Beach (6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily).

Lakeside Trail--Harbor Regional Park, Pacific Coast Highway and Vermont Avenue, Harbor City. Bird-watching. Open 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Free parking off Vermont.

Canyon Trail--Peck Park Recreation Center, Western and Summerland avenues, San Pedro. Open 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Free parking.

White Point Park, Paseo del Mar and Western Avenue, San Pedro. Fenced but entry arranged through Ken Malloy, Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department volunteer, 548-0868. Attractions are remnants of Nike missile sites and other military installations and coastal scenery.

Wilderness Park, 1102 Camino Real, Redondo Beach. Free for picnicking and walking, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, except Wednesday. Overnight camping, except Tuesday and Wednesday, by reservation made in person between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Camping fees: $2 for adults, $1 for children. For Redondo Beach residents, $1 for adults, 50 cents for children.