| Peak | Cucamonga Peak |
|---|---|
| Group | N/A |
| Trailhead | Icehouse Canyon |
This trail is very well traveled and we started the hike around 7:20AM and had to park a mile down from the parking lot. The morning started off in the 60’s so it was a bit cool but it didn’t take long to warm up once we started hiking and wearing shorts and a SS T-shirt was comfortable. I found it interesting to see the cabins and hear the sound of the stream in the beginning of the hike. Even this far into the summer the steam was still cold to the touch. The trail at times is more rock than dirt and is not the easiest to look around and appreciate the beauty that is surrounding you when you need to watch were you are walking or you smash your foot against a rock that is just a little higher than you expect. The trail also seemed to be well marked until the last leg where there is a wooden post that I’m sure at one time had a sign but now just has an arrow in white paint pointing the way. The hike to Icehouse Saddle was a good workout but the last 2.4 miles(which is what the sign says) seems longer and I’m sure that is because of the elevation and angle of the trail. We stopped a few times just to enjoy the beauty and the gorgeous views from the trail. The last half mile or so really makes sure you want the peak it seems to be the steepest part of the hike but once you reach the summit it is amazing how quickly that tiredness goes away. The view from the top is phenomenal and since I live in Rancho it was great to be able to see my house from the peak. We did see some wildlife; birds, chipmunks, squirrels, lizards but the highlight for me was the Bighorn Sheep we saw on the descent. I have never seen one out in nature and it was a magnificent animal. We got back to the car around 2:30PM and had a great day in the woods enjoying the sound of the Icehouse creek, the smell of the pine trees as well as the wind blowing through them sounded like the ocean at times to me. The last half of the descent started to get hot but overall it was an amazing day.
