We started Cucamonga much more prepared after a super unprepared and low-water hike at Mt Wilson. All members of the party had hiking poles, 3 liters of water and way too many snacks (we always pack too many snacks). Weather was good, sunny but not too warm.
Despite attempts to get up early enough, we made it to the trailhead around 7am, and the very small lot was already full of cars. We managed to park just a little over a quarter of a mile from the lot, and added a few hundred feet of elevation and distance to our hike.
I had heard mixed reviews about the wilderness aspect of Cucamonga – unlike Wilson, Cucamonga is a “wilderness hike” with no potable/filtered water, but it's also a very popular hike. I was surprised at how many hikers there were, and how the number of hikers really makes the trail feel less like a wilderness. That being said, I totally understand why Cucamonga is popular – the earlier half is nicely shaded, there's still a ton of water on the hike, trails are well-maintained and easy to find now that the snow is gone. Wilson felt mostly like dragging yourself up a very steep and dusty hill, but Cucamonga was surprisingly pleasant.
As a moderately experienced hiker, I would say that it is really difficult to get lost on Cucamonga now that there isn't any snow. There are tons of people you can ask directions from, and the signage is good enough.
We took a lot of breaks on this hike to eat our snacks and added about an hour and a half to the overall time on the trail. It's nice to eat at the saddle (where everyone else is eating their snacks) but there are also many good places to stop near the waterfalls lower down, as well as a good log bench ~3/4 of the way up with a shade tree where you can see both sides of the mountains.
There's a Cucamonga Peak sign that is just lying on the ground, most people were standing on a rocky outcropping to take their pictures holding the sign. (I guess there's also a Wilson one that we missed)
Overall, Cucamonga was a good hike. I wouldn't choose it you like solitude, at least not at 7am – maybe if you start the trail around dawn it's better! – but I can see why everyone and their mother was choosing this mountain.
Responses
We saw you up there!! I agree it was beautiful but I also felt like it was the “Disneyland” of the hikes. I couldn’t believe the bus loads of hikers there that day! It was a full on party 🎉 up at the top of the peak. Ha. Congratulations on your summit 🙂