Table Of Content
The Forest Service website language is confusing, but the information here has been confirmed with the rangers. There are a number of cabins in the lower canyon that are still in use, as well as the remains of many more that have been destroyed by flood or fire over the years. At times it felt like rush hour on the 5 with long lines of hikers and few places to pass. Log in to keep track of trails that interest you with My Hikes and receive the "hike of the month" newsletter from hikespeak.com.
Trailhead Elevation
You can stay up to date with my new guides by following me on YouTube, Instagram, or by subscribing to my monthly newsletter. Before you start, you will need an Adventure Pass for parking ($5/day or $30 annually) as well as a free wilderness permit. Permit and pass can be purchased at the Mt. Baldy visitor center. The parking lot can fill up on weekends so get there early. There are basic toilets at the beginning of the trail but not on the trail itself.
Icehouse Canyon to Icehouse Saddle in the San Gabriel Mountains
Offering one of the coolest summits in the San Gabriel Mountains, the hike to Cucamonga Peak very popular. Cucamonga Peak, at 8,862 feet, has spectacular views from SoCal's high peaks to the urban development below. The hike up to the peak is tough but not brutal, the scenery and views are spectacular, and the summit area is a lot of fun. If you want to avoid the more populated trails, you can simply turn around here and retrace your steps back to the Icehouse Canyon Trailhead.
Cucamonga Peak
The hike is accessible in all seasons, but in winter there can be snow and ice so special equipment may be useful, but not required. In mid-January there were patches of ice on the trail but were easily crossed in boots and trainers. You can take the trail and end at Ice house Saddle or continue on to other destinations for a longer hike or overnight camping. The Icehouse Canyon trail is a beautiful, well-forested trail that parallels babbling Icehouse Creek. There is lots of parking at the trailhead (Adventure Pass required) but due to the popularity, it fills up early. We started our hike at 7am and the parking lot still had a few spaces, but was quickly filling up.
The trail begins as an old 2-track which gradually peters out to a single-track, dirt path before reaching Mill Creek and then continues across the mesa. A 100 foot elevation gain is dwarfed by a total elevation loss of about 1,860 feet, the majority being a gradual decent across the mesa with a drop of about 400 feet the last 0.5 mile. The lower trailhead junction off of the Middleton Powerline trail is reached from the Mill Creek trailhead. The trail is bike and equestrian friendly except for the last 0.5 mile because of the steep descent on lava rock. Check the summit weather, the snow satellite imagery, and call the ranger office for the latest conditions, and don't take any risks. When there is snow and ice on Cucamonga Peak, it is no longer a hike and becomes a mountaineering activity.
Poncho sledding, as it could be called, adds even more enjoyment to this winter hike.
In addition to the free permit that I just described (book online here), you will need a (free) California campfire permit. Again, it's not an official camping spot, and you might be asked to leave, but at this point, many folks do an overnight there, and you'll probably be fine as well. If you don't feel comfortable walking on the road, it's usually easy to hitchhike at the end of Manker Flats and get a lift from other hikers down to Icehouse. If you want to do some other great hikes from Icehouse Saddle, check out my directions for Cucamonga Peak and Ontario Peak. It's designed to let you take in the beauty of the Three Tee's Trail and then you have a nice long descent back to your car. If you want to avoid the more developed portions of the hike, simply hike to Telegraph Peak and return the way you came.
Related Guides
Permits are required, but are self-serve and available at the trailhead (bring a pen). View San Gabriel Mountains in a larger map Or view a regional map of surrounding Los Angeles trails and campgrounds. Not long after crossing into the Cucamonga Wilderness, the trail begins to climb more seriously. Your heart starts to pound and your thighs start to burn… and then you hit the real steep section, an arduous march up a slippery slope called “the waterfall.” Have a look around for inspiration. Normally, the trail crosses to the north side of the canyon and climbs a series of switchbacks to get to Icehouse Saddle. However, when that white thing that is usually foreign to Southern California covers the ground, the consensus becomes to take a direct track right up the center of the canyon.
Mt. San Antonio (Mt. Baldy) via the Ski Hut Trail
I use the affordable National Parks Pass, which gets me in every park, monument, and national forest. You can also use a (Southern California only) Adventure Pass, or buy a $5 day permit from the visitor's center. Don't attempt it if you haven't done long mountain hikes and if you don't have a good level of fitness. Likewise, if there's snow and ice on the route, don't attempt it unless you have winter hiking and mountaineering experience. The trail is well-worn because it is a route for hikers attempting several of the high country peaks or others just out hiking the canyon with no particular turnaround point in mind. You may see quite a few other hikers during the busier seasons.
Nothing is sponsored or promoted, just the actual gear that I use. Aside from a bar, there are next to no services in Mount Baldy Village. Make sure you pick up all of your supplies before leaving the metro area and heading up the hill. Icehouse Saddle itself is simply a weathered sign and a couple of downed trees that are great spots to sit down and catch your breath. Trail signs mark the destinations and distances of the trails that branch off from this point. On the descent, if you keep an emergency poncho in the bottom of your backpack (for completely different circumstances), you can put it to use as a makeshift toboggan.
Icy conditions and inadequate gear spell disaster for hikers around Mt. Baldy - Los Angeles Times
Icy conditions and inadequate gear spell disaster for hikers around Mt. Baldy.
Posted: Mon, 08 Feb 2016 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The final approach to the summit is also an avalanche zone. If you don't have winter mountaineering experience, don't do it. People have fallen to their deaths here in the winter. There's some confusion around permits for Cucamonga Peak, especially after some changes were made in 2020. To do this hike from the Icehouse Canyon Trailhead to Cucamonga Peak, you can fill out a permit at the trailhead, or do it online here before you go. For some other approaches to Cucamonga Peak, you do need to obtain a permit beforehand.
The views are very nice and the time we went there was snow on the ground, but sneakers were still fine with some decently warm socks. Busy on a Saturday morning, but the farther you go up the less people you see.Definitely recommend for a good workout, but not too hard where you can't talk along the way. Above the snow-covered waterfall, the trail becomes more generous again and there is only one more steep passage over the last third-mile.
Hikers may turn around at the saddle or continue on in four different directions. These tracks are barely visible under the deep snow, and only one trail sign is visible. The trail itself is not particularly exciting but does offer some nice views in all directions. Below the National Forest, all but the last half mile lies on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management within the Red Cliffs NCA. The trail may also be accessed from the Broken Mesa trail that junctures with the trail about mid-point.
Icehouse Canyon is located in a beautiful stretch of the Angeles National Forest near Mount Baldy Village, just southeast of the mighty Mount Baldy. A trail through the canyon leads up to Icehouse Saddle. At 7,500 feet, this low point in the ridgeline offers sweeping views of the western San Gabriel Mountains.
The rest of the hike directions here follow a loop route back to the hike start. Did the hike at the end of November (2015) and the weather was chilly so you needed a base layer and a decently warm jacket (gloves were helpful near the top too). The hike was doable by people who don't hike often, but are generally fit people (they were sore the next day).
This is a backcountry hike and you should prepare accordingly. It's also a hike best left for times when there's no snow or ice. The Three T's Trail hike is one of the more peaceful hikes in the Mt Baldy area.
No comments:
Post a Comment