Cucamonga Peak Hike summit

Cucamonga Peak Hike

With one of the coolest summits in the San Gabriel Mountains, the Cucamonga Peak hike is a favorite. The climb is tough but not brutal, the scenery and views are awesome, and the crowds aren't as bad as Mount Baldy.

Rating:

5 / 5

Distance:

12 miles (19.3 km)

Time:

7 hours

Difficulty:

Hard

Climbing:

4300 ft (1311 m)

Trail Condition:

Marked Trails

Challenges:

Climbing

People:

Crowded to Icehouse Saddle, then sparse

Known For:

Views, Alpine Scenery, Cool Summit

Best Time:

Early Morning

Dogs:

Leashed

Bathrooms:

Yes

Parking:

Fee

Trailhead:

20 Ice House Canyon Rd, Mt Baldy, CA, 91759, USA

Park Website:

Angeles National Forest

Phone:

Hike Weather:

In this Guide:

→ Trail Maps
→ Gear Recommendations
→ Turn-by-Turn Directions
→ Hike Video

Cucamonga Peak Hike Trail Maps

Google Maps trailhead:
20 Ice House Canyon Rd, Mt Baldy, CA, 91759, USA

Cucamonga Peak Hike location — The trailhead for Cucamonga Peak is about 90 minutes east of downtown LA. It's just outside of Mt Baldy Village, where you can grab a bite to eat.

Cucamonga Peak Hike 3d map — It's a long, gradual climb up from Icehouse Canyon. Then a final push to Cucamonga Peak. You can see the peak's position gives you great 360 views of the surrounding.

Cucamonga Peak Hike elevation — The hike is steadily uphill on the Icehouse Canyon Trail. After Icehouse Saddle the hike is level and you get a breather, and then you go up. And up.

Interactive Map

Click Here To Load Map

Cucamonga Peak Hike Map Downloads

hiking map on garmin fenix 3

If you have GPS device (I use this one by Garmin and I love it) for your hike, load the GPX file below into your device to navigate the hike. For help on loading the GPX file, read this article on converting and transferring to a Garmin GPS.

Also, don't rely on electronics as your sole means of navigation. There's a basic printable PDF map below, and I strongly picking up a good topo map too.

View a Printable PDF Hike Map Download the Hike GPX File

Gear for the Cucamonga Peak Hike

camelback fourteener 24

The best hydration daypack out there. The CamelBak Fourteener has been perfect on hikes of all distances (including Mt Whitney and Cactus to Clouds). It's light, has plenty of room for snacks, extra layers, hiking gear, and comes with a 3 liter water bladder. I also like the raised sweat pads on the back that keep your back dry. It's the perfect blend of high-tech, durability, and simplicity. I've got hundreds of hours on it and still love it.

CamelBak Fourteener Reviews

recommended hiking boot

My favorite hiking boot of all time. The La Sportiva Synthesis (for women and men) are waterproof, super-light, have incredible grip, and won a Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice Award (my review here). I've gone through a lot of boots and these are my favorite. They feel like comfortable sneakers with the protection of hiking boots.

La Sportiva Hiking Boot Reviews

Don't hike without this in your backpack. It's a GPS emergency beacon and can save your life (more on that here). On the trail, you're often out of cell phone range, and even something as simple as a twisted ankle could become a life and death situation. This beacon works where cell phones don't and is the size of a fist. Just press a button and help is on the way. Your life is worth every penny.

ACR GPS Beacon Reviews

Be prepared! My complete list of hiking gear and survival kit contents is here, check it out!

Help support this site by checking out REI outlet for great gear for a fraction of the full price.

Cucamonga Peak Hike Directions

What to Expect

The summit, Cucamonga Peak, at 8,862 feet, has spectacular views of the LA sprawl, the desert, and surrounding peaks.
There are areas on the summit were you can do some primitive camping.
Keep your eyes open above and below the trail for bighorn sheep.
The hike to Cucamonga Peak starts on Icehouse Canyon Trail, which can get crowded. After Icehouse Saddle, the crowd thins out.
This is a long and challenging hike. Make sure you pack plenty of water, snacks, and layers. In the winter, there can be snow and ice. Call the ranger office for the latest conditions and don’t take any risks.
You need a permit to hike in the Cucamonga Wilderness, and it’s easy and free. A box at the trailhead has permit forms for you to fill out. Bring a pen. If there are no forms, fill out your info on a piece of paper and leave it.
There is a big parking lot, but it fills up by 7am, and you need a parking pass. I use the affordable National Parks Pass, which gets me in every park, monument, and national forest. You can also use an (Southern California only) Adventure Pass, or buy a $5 day permit from the ranger’s office.

Turn by Turn Directions

Cucamonga Peak Hike trailhead — The Cucamonga Peak hike starts at the Icehouse Canyon trailhead, at the far end of the parking lot.

Cucamonga Peak Hike permit box — Hiking permits are in the box in front of the trailhead sign.

Cucamonga Peak Hike permit — Fill the hiking permit out, take the yellow copy with you, and drop the white copy in the slot on the side of the box. If there’s no permits left, fill out your info on a blank piece of paper and leave it in the box.

Cucamonga Peak Hike trail — Start hiking up the developed Icehouse Canyon trail, passing some cabins along the way.

Cucamonga Peak Hike trail — The trail gets really beautiful as it winds up along Icehouse Creek.

tree stump — Shortly after starting, there’s a tree stump with SCE on it. Hike to the left and continue on the Icehouse Canyon trail.

ruins on Cucamonga Peak Hike — There are cool ruins along this part of the hike.

Cucamonga Peak Hike trail junction — After hiking about a mile, there’s a junction, hike straight through.

Cucamonga Peak Hike trail sign — You’re next destination is the Icehouse Saddle, 2.6 miles down the trail.

Cucamonga Wilderness sign — After hiking about 1.7 miles, you officially enter the Cucamonga Wilderness area.

rocks on Cucamonga Peak Hike — As the trail gently starts to angle upward, there are a lot of really cool rocks and geological formations.

cairns on Cucamonga Peak Hike — There are some rocky sections of the trail here. Look for the cairns if you get lost.

Cucamonga Peak Hike views — As you climb, the views back into the canyon are beautiful.

Cucamonga Peak Hike switchbacks — The trail steepens and traverses several switchbacks.

Cucamonga Peak Hike trail junction — At about 3.2 miles you reach a junction. Hike to the right to continue towards Icehouse Saddle.

Cucamonga Peak Hike approaches icehouse saddle — At around 3.6 miles, you approach Icehouse Saddle.

icehouse saddle — Icehouse Saddle is a great place to stop for a snack. There are five trails that intersect here. You want to hike on the Cucamonga Peak trail, which is straight through the saddle area from where you came.

Cucamonga Peak trail — This is the Cucamonga Peak trail (from Icehouse Saddle).

Cucamonga Peak Hike trail — Shortly after hiking on the Cucamonga Peak trail, another trail splits off left. Keep hiking right on the Cucamonga Peak trail.

Cucamonga Peak Hike trail — The trail follows the side of Bighorn Peak. The hike here is level with some downhill sections.

cris hazzard on Cucamonga Peak Hike — There’s lots of great views to the left.

Cucamonga Peak Hike trail — The trail skirts the side of the mountain. There are some narrow and washed out areas, but it’s all safe and doable.

mine shaft — At around 4.5 miles, you’ll see an abandoned mine shaft. If you want to see what it’s like inside, check this out.

Cucamonga Peak Hike trail climbs — Shortly after the mine, the trail crosses a small saddle and starts climbing.

Cucamonga Peak Hike views — As you hike up, take time to stop, turn around, and look around. There are great views of the surrounding peaks, Mt Baldy and the Baldy Bowl.

Cucamonga Peak Hike views — LA and the inland empire come into view. Keep your eyes open, there’s a point where you can see the skyscrapers of downtown LA from here.

Cucamonga Peak Hike sign post — At about 6.2 miles, after some serious climbing, the trail to Cucamonga Peak splits off to the right. Someone stole the sign on this day, so keep your eye open for the wooden post.

Cucamonga Peak — You did it! The actual peak is to the left. There’s an American flag to the right.

Cucamonga Peak Hike views — The summit has tons of cool rock formations to take pictures on. The views are incredible.

Cucamonga Peak flag — The area with the flag has views toward the west.

cris hazzard on Cucamonga Peak Hike — From here, you just hike back the way you came up. Happy hiking!

Cucamonga Peak Hike Video

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A quick note. These directions are meant as a guide for the hike, and not a definitive source. Conditions change, and the information here can be different based on time of day, weather, season, etc. There can be small side trails that you might see but I missed. I have made every effort to include all the information you need to complete the hike successfully. I recommend using this guide in conjunction with a map, GPX file, common sense, and call to the ranger station or park office. If you do the hike and notice something has changed, please contact me and I will update the guide.