If you love climbing, Icehouse Canyon to Cucamonga Peak Trail is a perfect hike for you that offers amazing views of the LA sprawl and surrounding peaks. The trail is located near Mt Baldy, California and it offers amazing scenery and views, which you will never forget. It’s a 12 mile out and back trail with an elevation gain of 1,315m. It is rated as difficult and it would take you around 7 hours to finish the hike. The trail is quite challenging and the climb is tough too, but if you are physically fit, it won’t be a problem for you.
The trail begins from Icehouse Canyon Trailhead, you need a permit to hike, but you don’t have to pay for it. The permits are available at the trailhead and you can just get the form, fill it and you are good to go. There is a huge parking lot at the trailhead as well, but as the trail is quite popular, it fills up very early. You also need a parking pass to park your vehicle. You can get a permit from the ranger’s office that costs $5 a day.
The hike is not easy, so you should be fully prepared and to avoid dehydration, you must bring sufficient water with you. The trail is fairly easy as first, but then it starts gaining elevation. Within the first mile of hiking, you would see occupied cabins as well as the abandoned foundations. After half a mile, the trail begins climbing and becomes quite rocky as well, so appropriate hiking shoes would be of great use here. The water might be flowing through Icehouse Canyon, it’s a pretty sight and many people just decide to stay and picnic there.
After 1 mile you will get to the junctions of the Chapman Trail, from there you can also turn left and see some amazing sceneries. When you have hiked for 3.6 miles, you will reach the Icehouse Saddle. It’s a pretty good destination too, but if you want to reach the peak, keep climbing and after 6 miles of hiking you will reach Cucamonga Peak.