I rode into Cucamonga Canyon this past Friday on the West Cucamonga Truck Trail. I took the paved rode up to the lookout (where the paved road turns to dirt road) and then down into Cucamonga canyon, to the stream crossing at Cucamonga Creek. Lots of water flow, very nice! I then tooked the West Cucamonga Truck trail (partly single track) up to the junction with Barrett-Stodard Truck trail. Lots of burn area from the Grand Prix(?) fire, but also a lot of new growth, mostly scrub brush. About 7 miles round trip. Took me about 1.5 hours to reach the junction. I had to hike-a-bike part way because of the rocky terrain and because of my rubbery legs...
This seems to be a pretty isolated area since the gates are locked at the base of the hill (Skyline Dr.) and you need to park all the way below Skyline Drive now or risk a parking ticket (new No Parking signs, dammit!!). So, it takes a little uphill effort to get into the canyon. I only saw one hiker down there the entire time. Granted it was a Friday, but I definitely felt a sense of isolation.
Sorry, no pictures, I forgot my camera. Next time I will make sure to take my camera. I am curious if anyone knows if they are going to re-open the gates anytime soon to allow for easier access. It appears that there use to be a lot more traffic in the canyon at one time, maybe before the fires. I feel like this is a good alternative to Claremont Hills when the trails for the latter are congested and one wants to take a ride with a little more solitude.