Ontario peak and Bighorn peak – twice the fun – 2 of 6

June 10, 2021

The series of trails accessible from the Icehouse Canyon TH have easily become some of my favorite in the L.A. area.

At 3.6 miles one way, the popular main trail to the Icehouse Canyon Saddle junction made for a great hike of its own.  It can get crowded on the week-end but it wasn't busy during the week, even with our late ~9:30am start. This first section of the hike had ample shade where it followed Icehouse Creek – we could already hear the rushing sounds of water shortly after we left the parking area.  I particularly enjoyed this section.

The Saddle junction gives you some chose-your-own-adventure options as it spiders out into several trails including Cucamonga, the Three T's (Timber-Telegraph-Thunder), and Ontario – our destination for today.  It was a perfect mid-way spot for a snack break.

Next level hiking break setup: seeing a group of hikers each pull a backpacking chair out of their pack, some proper fresh appetizer snacks to share and cracking open an Outdoor Escape IPA from Pizza Port. Our granola bars looked a little pitiful in comparison.  ? ?

Once on the Ontario trail, we reached a ridge about half way to the summit where the trail T'd out.  We got our first glimpse at the long views towards Rancho Cucamonga and the valley below – you just can't get tired of these views! Stepping over some logs on the left would have taken us to the less traveled trail to Bighorn peak.  We continued on to the Ontario peak summit on the right instead and saved the side trail to Bighorn for the way back, adding just another 1.4 miles round trip for this second summit. The Bighorn trail wasn't as well maintained and a little more difficult to follow (downed trees, criss-crossing side trails) but it was well worth the detour and the extra effort. Great views from Bighorn towards Cucamonga – it was fun to see all the mini hikers seemingly hanging on to the side of the mountain down below.

Looking forward to being back soon for Cucamonga.  But first: Baldy tomorrow!