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A lengthy trail with great views and moderate elevation gain.


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Map Key

7.4

Miles

12.0

KM

Point to Point

8,691' 2,649 m

High

5,902' 1,799 m

Low

2,989' 911 m

Up

1,314' 400 m

Down

11%

Avg Grade (6°)

48%

Max Grade (26°)

Dogs Leashed

Features Views · Waterfall

Wilderness permit required. No fires are allowed in the Cucamonga Wilderness.

Need to Know

The San Sevaine Road is only open to vehicles from after Labor Day to March 1. Call the Lytle Creek Ranger Station (909-382-2851) for current road and trail conditions and wilderness permit availability. High clearance vehicles strongly recommended.

Adventure Pass required to park at the Icehouse Canyon Trailhead. Lot fills early on weekends.

Description

You can access the eastern trailhead via the San Sevaine Road #1N34. There is a small pull-off with space for a handful of cars, but there's not an official parking lot. You can also access this trail from the Icehouse Canyon Trail #7W07A (from the West), where you'll meet the Cucamonga Peak Trail at Icehouse Saddle.

The most popular section of the trail is from Icehouse Saddle to the high point where there is a junction with the Cucamonga Peak Spur that leads to the summit. The trail goes around the east side of Bighorn Peak in a nicely forested section then reaches a saddle with good views in one mile. From there, it steeply switchbacks another mile up the north side of the peak to the trail junction.

The section of trail from the Joe Elliot Tree Memorial on the San Sevaine Road to the high point is less frequently used due to the difficulty of getting to the trailhead on a long dirt road with summer closure. Trail condition may be poor in places and hard to find. It is not maintained. But this section offers some of the best uncrowded hiking in the Cucamonga Wilderness.

During this hike you'll have plenty of time to look around at the views, as much of the trail follows the top of a ridgeline. Gaining the ridge is the most difficult part of the trail, and you'll pick up about 2,000 ft. of elevation along the way. The grade is consistent on the way to Cucamonga Peak, but you'll drop elevation quickly on the way down.

From the summit, visitors have two options: they can descend the route that they just took up, or they can drop down the other side of the peak, which leads to another parking lot. This is only recommended if you've already arranged a shuttle, or if a car is waiting at both trailheads.

Flora & Fauna

High alpine forest of Jeffrey pines, sugar pines, lodgepole pines and white fir. Manzanita, buckthorn and chinquapin are common groundcovers. Watch for bighorn sheep.

Contacts

Shared By:

Sung Kwang Kim

Trail Ratings

  4.6 from 17 votes

#371

Overall
  4.6 from 17 votes
5 Star
65%
4 Star
29%
3 Star
6%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Trail Rankings

#42

in California

#371

Overall
11 Views Last Month
4,471 Since Oct 31, 2015
Difficult Difficult

0%
0%
11%
6%
78%
6%

Photos

Panoramic view from Cucamonga Peak looking out towards San Gorgonio and the upper LA basin.
Feb 2, 2016 near Rancho…, CA
View of Mt Baldy from the Cucamonga Trail.
Nov 3, 2015 near Rancho…, CA
View from the ridge between Cucamonga and Etiwanda Peaks at the Inland Empire.
Sep 28, 2018 near Rancho…, CA
View of Mt. Baldy from the Cucamonga Peak Trail
Sep 28, 2018 near Rancho…, CA
Cucamonga Peak Trail view to the west
Sep 28, 2018 near Rancho…, CA
Big Horn Saddle on the way to Cucamonga Peak.  View to the northeast
Sep 28, 2018 near Rancho…, CA

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Current Trail Conditions

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Check-Ins

Jul 15, 2020
Patrick Smith
Oct 3, 2019
Rog Z
Aug 26, 2018
Nicole Buehlma
11.5mi
Sep 18, 2017
Valerie Norton
Backpacking for peaks: https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2017/09/cucamonga-wild-cucamonga-and-etiwanda.html
Aug 19, 2017
Amy Lawrence
Aug 19, 2017
Jonathan Kaneshiro
2nd peak done!!! Cucamonga Peak on 8/19. Only took 5 hrs to the top, 8.5 total covered 11.6 mi. The top elevation 8,859 ft. 11.6mi — 8h 30m
Jul 11, 2017
Norma Lopez
Great conditions, trail was safe. Saw 2 rattlesnakes on the trail so be careful! It's an ass burner for sure!! 10.5mi
Jun 4, 2017
Miro Alcantara
15mi
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