First Hike To Cucamonga Peak July 7, 2019 Sunday – Peak 4 of 6 and first since March 9th….

I parked and got started ~0630 and there were only 20-30 cars already there – so lots of room to park. Another hiker said at 7am the lot was full and he had to park down the street. When I returned to my car at 1:30 the main lot had just a handful spots open as the AM hikers were coming off the mountain.

I had read a lot about how nice Ice House Canyon is and – it is, what a great piece of trail complete with a full length water feature. And logistically very accessible – the great beauty of the creek is just outside the parking lot so you don't have to go far to take it all in. The creeks was flowing harder than anticipated and the high rate just added to the splendor.

After you walk along the pleasurable creek for a bit its a lot of steep trial up to the peak – which has sweeping views, made all the better by dramatic topography drop to the valley floor. Really ice view and great place to stare at the other peaks while eating a sandwich.

One thing I really enjoy about hiking is the “Physical Geography” of seeing, from all different vantage points (peaks), the ‘other' peaks here in Southern California. So  in my hiker pose with the sign – San Jacinto is to my left, San Gorgonio to my right and trails to right of the pic, and the last round peak 9,952 ft Mt Sugarloaf (hiked in June 2016) which prominent in my home town of Big Bear's skyline.

One slip up on the trail – I had it to the Ice House Canyon / Cucamonga Peak intersection in just under 3 hours I was pretty exhausted and excited because I could tell on my map I was close – and I continued on the way to Etiwanda Peak for about 20 minutes before I could tell for sure for I had made a mistake. I was losing elevation and I remembered looking at the elevation graph and there was no downhill (like going to Etiwanda) at the end of the Cucamonga Hike. So I turned around and found the intersection easily as now there was other traffic.