Ice House Trail to Timber Mountain

Yesterday we went up Ice House Canyon intending to stop at the Saddle. We knew from other reports that attempting to summit Cucamonga was probably out of the question due to ice, so we figured that the Saddle was a good objective for the day. We met someone on the trail that suggested that Timber Mountain would be a good alternative destination. Good call! It's just about a mile past the saddle, and the trail was totally clear until the final approach to the summit. There, we had to cross some snowy patches but they were totally doable in normal boots. At the top there are beautiful views of Mt. Baldy and Mt. Wilson. Had a nice lunch and headed back down. There are a few snowy patches below the saddle but nothing too bad -- just take your time and they're easy to cross. There were a fair number of folks spiking up to go on to Cucamonga, but we heard from some of them later that they had to turn back due to icy conditions. Take that for what it's worth. All in all a beautiful day. Rewarded ourselves with an ice cold Pomona Queen lager at Buckhorn lodge -- recommended! Mark & Brenda