Ice House Canyon Trail

Did I underestimate Ice House or what? Somehow I missed the part where this hike has an elevation of over 2,500 feet; I was expecting a relaxing hike and got a huge challenge instead. Be very aware of this and come prepared with a good night's sleep, plenty of water, and a snack or meal. My boyfriend and I brought more than enough water (2 gallons) but no food at all. We had hardly slept the night before as well. With half a mile left to go to reach the saddle, we decided to head back as we were way hungry and increasingly miserable! I beg you, be smarter (and fitter, hah) than us. My legs are so wrecked it hurts to even live.

Nevertheless, the scenery itself was gorgeous and there was plenty to look at and admire. We ran into wildlife two times: two deer on our way out and a rattlesnake on our way back. Both times they were right on the trail so be careful and observant!

Overall strenuous hike as an Ice House first-timer but so pretty that I will definitely come back.

Day after Christmas, a hiking buddy of mine figured the recent rainfall over the weekend was good reason to visit Ice House Canyon. During the winter season, there is the added element of snow and icy roads. For some peace of mind, I brought a pair of crampons and gaiters. The hike started around 7:45am with a cool and crisp breeze. Best to keep cozy and layer up.

First three or so miles were pretty similar to what you would expect during the summer, terrain-wise. The trail was fairly clean and clear with a few spots to climb up boulders or take a break near the river. One moment you pass through a cluster of trees surrounded by freshly fallen pinecones, and the next you are met with what seems strikingly like the same scree as the last. At a certain point though, the trail became icy and the air slightly chillier. Upon reaching the end of the saddle, there were a number of folks sipping from their thermos and playing with their pooch.

After eating our packed lunch, we ventured further up towards Timber Mountain. It was here where patches of snow gradually became blankets as far as the eyes could see. With that said, crampons were unnecessary. The trail was no longer visible since we could not see the ground, so we kept heading up towards the trees till the sign "TIMBER MTN. ELEV. 8303" was within sight. We were greeted with a stunning view of snow-covered hills. There was also a little box of guestbooks to sign.

We decided to take the Chapman trail back down. Whereas Ice House was more spread out, Chapman was more narrowly defined with more ups and downs. A few more areas looked like boulders worth a climb. Most of the manzanitas along the way were healthy and bushy with many of them bearing fruit. If you have the time, Chapman is easily the more scenic of the two and worth the extra mile and a half. In total, we hiked around 11 miles and enjoyed it immensely.

Incredible trail and views. I did the hike up to the saddle and then down Chapman trail. 9 mile loop. Don't forget to take a nice ice cold dunk in the running streams and waterfalls.

We wanted to see snow with the recent rains and walked the Ice House Canyon trail and there was soo much snow, it felt like I was in another world. This was a well traveled trailed with family and kids, solo hikers and friends hiking, you really see all walks of life!

As we returned to the beginning of the trail, I slipped on black ice. I can see how accidents happen! Good thing i fell on my butt on a flat ground and not slope!!

Hiked 6/24. No snow on the trail at all (did the full loop). Beautiful river flowing at the beginning, we put our feet in on the way out. Beautiful lush trail, so much blooming. Not much of a "view" from the top, but beautiful views along the way. Great first hike back out there this season in our training for Whitney.

Rocks everywhere; this probably describes the majority of the trail to Icehouse Saddle. This was also one of the harder trails because it was mostly an uphill climb. We started at 8am and got back at 1pm; it was about a 7 mile round trip.

Plenty of parking spots when we arrived. There were a few hikers that passed us on the way up but there were quite a lot of people on the way down. Expect to make multiple stops to the side to let others pass. Trail starts off next to a river that's flowing with water. Eventually, it'll become a gruesome uphill climb up the mountain for miles and the trails become narrow. A lot of experienced hikers seem to be using hiking poles but it's not necessary. There's also an ice patch along the way so pay attention and walk around it. You also want to make sure you have proper clothing. Once you hit the Icehouse Saddle... there was a huge temperature drop and it gets really cold and windy up there.

Ice House canyon trail is the main trail people start at when hiking up to Ontario or Cucamonga peak. The trail is just off the Baldy round & is pretty close to Mt. Baldy. The parking lot fills up pretty fast so try arriving before 7am, and don't forget your adventure pass for parking.

A lot of this trail is shaded by the trees on the mountain, and depending on the time of year some of the creeks will have a good amount of water flowing throughout the trail. The trail does have a decent amount of elevation gain but it's not terrible hard for beginners to get through. You can get a good challenging hike here if you decided to go the 6 plus miles to some of the peaks, or you can wander around and just soak up the nature sites around you.

We usually come to Mt. Baldy for the snow, but this year, we decided to come for fall leaves and hiking. First off, we stopped at the visitor center for the parking pass. ($5 one day parking) Then, about 5 mins drive, you can reach to the parking lot! Limited parking space, we waited around 10 mins to get a spot!

About hiking:
2.5 miles round trip to Ice house canyon, there's a beautiful stream there along the hiking trail, perfect for beginners and kids. Advanced hiking: additional 4 miles to Ice horse saddle, comfortable hiking shoes are strongly recommended, it's a bit steep and get prepared to walk over lots of rocks. Scenery is incredible!

Some Tips:
1. They have a actual bathroom in the visitor center. It's clean! Or else, there is a public toilet next to the parking lot, close to the entrance of hiking trials. (You can't wash your hands there)

2. There is no WiFi in the mountains, so get yourself prepared for the route first!

3. Bottled water, snacks and a cap are needed! (We had a picnic there on the rock, it was so beautiful!) + Enough water and some food for advanced hiking, the hiking is real!

4. Time your hiking! Give yourself at least one hour beforehand to head back, it gets dark quickly.

Mt Baldy is a place worth exploring! Spoil your eyes and enjoy the beauty of the nature, hikers!

Great trail all the way up Mt Baldy Rd. Paved parking lot at the trailhead. Need an adventure pass to park here. Started hike at 6:30am I think you should start earlier in this summer heat. Trail is mostly shaded, lots of loose rocks and gravel so wear good hiking shoes or boots. Lots of people wearing hats with nets around there faces I think I need to invest as by the water there were so many flies and bugs and they fly right to you face, eyes, and ears it's a pain in the butt. This trail is very strenuous as it is all a gradual incline to the top. Only made it to the saddle as I did not come prepared with food and more drinks.

It was my first time visiting this hike trail. It is close from Otange County, and the creek is full of water.

Review from 7/24/20 ~
Such an excellent hiking trail! We did the 5 mile trail and enjoyed it a lot. A couple of things to note if going out to this trail!

1. Parking is pretty limited and very full. We waited about 15 minutes for hikers to come off the trail and leave to take their spot. With that being said hikers tend to cycle in and out so if you wait you will get a spot. I see a lot of people talking about an "adventure pass" on here but when I went the pass was not needed. We did NOT have to pay for parking. We went to the visitors center to buy a pass but the center was closed. Found a ranger and talked to him and he said "don't worry about parking until the visitor center opens up" - Check if the visitors center is open before parking!

2. Bathrooms. There is always a question of "what If I need to use the bathroom?" There are 2 bathrooms in the parking lot. Neither of them have a hand wash station. Both of them are in extremely gross condition, especially if you have to sit to use them. But nonetheless, they are available to use! I would recommend eating lightly that day and drinking minimal fluids before the trail to avoid bathroom use. And bring hand sanitizer & toilet paper if needed.

3. The "walkway" of the trail is pretty tight and leaves minimal space for social distancing from others. While there aren't very many people around you during the hike, when you pass others there is minimal space so please bring a mask! I would say around 80% of people were masked on this hike, or had them under their chin and pulled them up when passing other people. Everyone was being very respectful of moving to the side to mass one another though. The further we got along on the trail, the less people there were

Lastly, this trail is very rocky! So I would recommend high socks / leggings to prevent scrapes on the rocks. The trail is mostly inclined as well so you might want to double think hiking with young children. There were children on the trail, but they did not make it very far.

This trail is definitely worth a hike, extremely pretty!