A few weeks ago, before the snows took over, I took the lesser known path to Cucamonga Peak. The road to the trailhead is awful and might require a truck, but the actual trail is different and worth trying. This trail feels kinder because it has fewer rocky trails and most of it is easy to follow… except the river crossing. Just pay attention to the markers! The foliage on this side of Cucamonga is a bit different, with more acorns and slightly different trees. There are also more flies, so don’t forget a bug net (no, bug spray won’t do much to these bugs). The trail reaches Icehouse saddle in 5.5 miles, which is about 2 miles longer than the more popular trail. What is most interesting is how the Middle Fork trail is nearly deserted but the icehouse trail has people on it every few minutes, so if you want a few hours by yourself, middle fork is the way to go.