Upper Cucamonga Canyon exploration - trip report and photos
Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2018 8:36 am
After doing and researching other trips in the area over the last couple weeks, Cucamonga Canyon caught my eye on the map. The south end has been closed for the last year, but I didn't find a renewal order, so supposedly the closure ended the day I was going to be up there (4/12). I didn't want to risk getting there and finding it had been extended, and was unsure of the parking situation, so I decided to park at Icehouse Canyon and approach from the north to avoid the closure area entirely as I had no expectation of making it far enough south to reach that section anyway. I found Brennen's report on Upper Cucamonga Canyon and figured I'd just head down and see how far I could get without gear. I wasn't sure about the possibility of bypasses but figured I'd check it out, I was hoping something would be viable and he just wasn't looking since he didn't need to. I didn't find any other useful reports on the canyon, but didn't look that hard, so there are probably more out there. I knew the first real falls was going to be impassable, but from the map I was hoping I could get up and over the canyon wall to the south and find a way down the other side past the falls. If I managed to pull that off I wanted to check see how much further I could get and scout a possible route to Ontario Peak from that side while I was there.
Icehouse Canyon is Icehouse Canyon, I had an uneventful but pleasant trip to the saddle. I've been to Ontario/Bighorn and Baldy/Three T's a decent number of times from there, but never taken the trail towards Cucamonga Peak from the saddle before. From there it's a short trip to the next saddle (7654') at the top of Cucamonga Canyon and right before the switchbacks for Cucamonga Peak. The canyon starts out quite broad, with mixed vegetation and small rocks, plus nice views of the southern face of Bighorn Peak. As you descend further, the small shrubby vegetation thins out, more trees appear, and it becomes rockier. It's still easy to navigate, but there is no hint of any trail, so it's a matter of finding a good line on rocky soil and small boulder hopping. The canyon gradually narrows, and water emerged for a short bit before disappearing again. At about 5600' you approach a bend and the walls get significantly narrower. The terrain becomes increasingly rocky and boulder strewn, and deciduous trees start taking over as a steady flow of water emerges again. It's still pretty easy to descend, but requires constant boulder hopping and stream crossing, The vegetation isn't super thick, but definitely requires some effort to get through in places, with frequent deadfall. I did notice a couple small cairns along the way for some reason, not sure why since there is really only one way to go. I didn't see any other signs of visitation like the campfire rings Brennen mentions as being further down the canyon.
Just as Brennen reported, I hit the first falls of any significance right about 4600'. There were a couple very minor ones (5' or so) before then, but those were easy dodged. At this point however, the canyon is extremely narrow, with only two options. One is the 15' falls on the left, the other is a slot with a 10' drop to the right, with a couple very large boulders dividing the two. I wasn't in the mood to go swimming on the left, and while I thought I could get down the slot on the right safely, the drop was nearly vertical with smooth rock to either side, so I didn't think I'd be able to get back up. You can get partway down the falls under the boulder that divides the two paths and have a slope and smaller drop, but it was obviously wet and would be too slippery to get back up it.
From here I backtracked a little and scrambled up the moderately steep side of the south wall to get a better view and have some lunch (a burrito). I was hoping to get a glimpse of the big falls just past the 15' one, but the canyon is too narrow at that point to see into, with trees below me further blocking the view. I spent a few minutes looking around to see if there was a reasonable way to go over the bump I was on and continue south while descending back into the canyon, but the immediate area is quite steep and loose, so it didn't look safe to try and go down there. A much longer bypass going up the ridge that makes up the south wall of the canyon, crossing the next drainage to the east, and then taking the next minor ridge southwest all the way back down into the canyon might be possible, but probably very sketchy, and my visibility was limited. At a minimum it would be extremely time consuming to even attempt, so I decided this would be my turnaround point for the canyon. My secondary goal of getting a good view of potential routes up to Ontario was foiled by a thick cloud layer in the canyon at around 5500'.
The trip back up went smoothly, and I was happy to manage to keep my feet dry the whole time. Back up at the saddle I still had plenty of time, so I took a quick side trip to Cucamonga Peak since I've only ever done it from Joe Elliot trailhead or from Deer Canyon last week. The clouds cleared up by early afternoon, so the switchbacks provided me with many great views towards Ontario and Bighorn, as well as Baldy and the Three T's further out. After a quick stop at the summit for a snack and to dump excess water, the trip back down was quick and easy.
Overall the section of the canyon I did manage to see was pleasant, but not as scenic as some others I've been in recently such as West Fork Bear Creek on my way to West Mermaid. Obviously I didn't make it to the best parts! I'd like to check it out again from below at some point, though it isn't a high priority.
Trip stats: 18.4mi, 11h26m, 7300' gain/loss.
Trash found and packed out: 11 mylar balloons from the canyon, two beer cans near the saddle before Cucamonga Peak, a random section of aluminum tubing from somewhere along the canyon, a decades old tin can.
Icehouse Canyon is Icehouse Canyon, I had an uneventful but pleasant trip to the saddle. I've been to Ontario/Bighorn and Baldy/Three T's a decent number of times from there, but never taken the trail towards Cucamonga Peak from the saddle before. From there it's a short trip to the next saddle (7654') at the top of Cucamonga Canyon and right before the switchbacks for Cucamonga Peak. The canyon starts out quite broad, with mixed vegetation and small rocks, plus nice views of the southern face of Bighorn Peak. As you descend further, the small shrubby vegetation thins out, more trees appear, and it becomes rockier. It's still easy to navigate, but there is no hint of any trail, so it's a matter of finding a good line on rocky soil and small boulder hopping. The canyon gradually narrows, and water emerged for a short bit before disappearing again. At about 5600' you approach a bend and the walls get significantly narrower. The terrain becomes increasingly rocky and boulder strewn, and deciduous trees start taking over as a steady flow of water emerges again. It's still pretty easy to descend, but requires constant boulder hopping and stream crossing, The vegetation isn't super thick, but definitely requires some effort to get through in places, with frequent deadfall. I did notice a couple small cairns along the way for some reason, not sure why since there is really only one way to go. I didn't see any other signs of visitation like the campfire rings Brennen mentions as being further down the canyon.
Just as Brennen reported, I hit the first falls of any significance right about 4600'. There were a couple very minor ones (5' or so) before then, but those were easy dodged. At this point however, the canyon is extremely narrow, with only two options. One is the 15' falls on the left, the other is a slot with a 10' drop to the right, with a couple very large boulders dividing the two. I wasn't in the mood to go swimming on the left, and while I thought I could get down the slot on the right safely, the drop was nearly vertical with smooth rock to either side, so I didn't think I'd be able to get back up. You can get partway down the falls under the boulder that divides the two paths and have a slope and smaller drop, but it was obviously wet and would be too slippery to get back up it.
From here I backtracked a little and scrambled up the moderately steep side of the south wall to get a better view and have some lunch (a burrito). I was hoping to get a glimpse of the big falls just past the 15' one, but the canyon is too narrow at that point to see into, with trees below me further blocking the view. I spent a few minutes looking around to see if there was a reasonable way to go over the bump I was on and continue south while descending back into the canyon, but the immediate area is quite steep and loose, so it didn't look safe to try and go down there. A much longer bypass going up the ridge that makes up the south wall of the canyon, crossing the next drainage to the east, and then taking the next minor ridge southwest all the way back down into the canyon might be possible, but probably very sketchy, and my visibility was limited. At a minimum it would be extremely time consuming to even attempt, so I decided this would be my turnaround point for the canyon. My secondary goal of getting a good view of potential routes up to Ontario was foiled by a thick cloud layer in the canyon at around 5500'.
The trip back up went smoothly, and I was happy to manage to keep my feet dry the whole time. Back up at the saddle I still had plenty of time, so I took a quick side trip to Cucamonga Peak since I've only ever done it from Joe Elliot trailhead or from Deer Canyon last week. The clouds cleared up by early afternoon, so the switchbacks provided me with many great views towards Ontario and Bighorn, as well as Baldy and the Three T's further out. After a quick stop at the summit for a snack and to dump excess water, the trip back down was quick and easy.
Overall the section of the canyon I did manage to see was pleasant, but not as scenic as some others I've been in recently such as West Fork Bear Creek on my way to West Mermaid. Obviously I didn't make it to the best parts! I'd like to check it out again from below at some point, though it isn't a high priority.
Trip stats: 18.4mi, 11h26m, 7300' gain/loss.
Trash found and packed out: 11 mylar balloons from the canyon, two beer cans near the saddle before Cucamonga Peak, a random section of aluminum tubing from somewhere along the canyon, a decades old tin can.
