Fall comes to Icehouse Canyon in the San Gabriels

[Click here to see photos of the trail from Icehouse Canyon to Cucamonga Peak.]

Need a fall-colors fix that doesn't involve flying east?

Head to Icehouse Canyon in the Angeles National Forest above Mount Baldy Village, one of my favorite hiking spots, where a short stroll up a rocky wash leads you to the refreshing pools of a fast-moving stream. In autumn, big-leaf maples and willows lend a golden glow to the lower canyon, and temperatures remain cool (at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, it was 55 degrees at the trailhead).

Even on this day in late October, some trees still had their leaves, and the brisk air -- perfect for hiking -- hinted at winter. It's a slog up the canyon to Icehouse Saddle -- just under four miles with 2,600 feet of gain one-way -- but the views in this forested area get better the higher you climb.

At the saddle, a well-marked junction with signs pointing in all directions, you can continue on to Timber Mountain (about a mile away), or Ontario or Cucamonga peaks -- each less than 3 miles away. I opted for Cucamonga Peak, where the trail turns into a ribbon of scree switchbacks as it goes deeper and higher into the backcountry wilderness.

This area, designated the Cucamonga Wilderness, is the "only wilderness in Southern California that encompasses parts of two national forests -- Angeles and San Bernardino," according to John Robinson's "Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels."

After besting the switchbacks, I turned onto a near-vertical footpath off the main trail to the 8,859-foot summit, where the views were surprisingly clear. The numbers: 12 miles, 3,900 feet of gain.

Two caveats: You need an Adventure Pass ($5 for a daily pass) and a free wilderness permit (Mt. Baldy Visitor Center, [909] 982-2829).

--Mary Forgione

Comments

[Neil Jessen]

The Adventure Pass is NOT required to hike or use your public lands, it is only needed to PARK your vehicle on the public lands. You can still hike in the National Forest for free.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't much like the idea of an Adventure Pass either. The reason they say they are doing it is to bring revenue into the local forest region for use IN the local forest region. The USFS in Washington allocates a certain amount of money to be divied up to all the local forests. Our local forest rangers complain that they aren't getting enough to run and maintain the local areas due to the fact that we are so close to such a highly populated area. So, they have implemented this Adventure Pass program to bring revenue into their local region, to be used by the local region. I don't like it because I feel that just because the USFS in Washington cannot figure out their budgets and allocate enough to the local forests, that shouldnt be the reason that I have to pay a double tax to park my car on their land.

I can sympathize with the local forest rangers. I have done volunteer work for the Angelus and the San Berdoo and you can't imagine the damage that is done simply by the loser gangbangers that "go up into the hills to party" every night. Burned out stolen cars pushed over the edges of cliffs, graffiti, broken windows, bullet holes, smashed up signs, the list is endless.

And don't think it isn't legal or the fee is suggested. If you park there without one, I guarantee you that when you come back, you will find an "official" thank you note on your windshield from the USFS in the form of a ticket. The only nice thing about the ticket is, they will allow you to apply the fine toward the purchase of an Adventure Pass.

[Jon K.]

What is the deal with the Adventure Pass? I've been told that it technically isn't legal. That it's a "suggested" fee. Some strange Orwellian bureaucratic nonsense like that. "Adventure Pass." Ridiculous. It's turning the last true bastion of American freedom into a stupid, Disneyesque commercial experience. Theodore Roosevelt would be ashamed at the notion. Paying to go hike in PUBLIC LANDS! Ridiculous.

[Jon K.]

Sure is pretty. I bet it's really something the day after a good rain.

By the way, an "Adventure Pass" is one of the most disgusting ideas I've ever heard of. Makes me sick. So, I'm supposed to pay to hike on PUBLIC LANDS? Give me a break.