ICE HOUSE CANYON Mt Baldy

Description: Ice House Canyon Trail is one of the better hikes in the Mt. Baldy area. It is close to urban locations, but a few miles up the trail you will feel that you are really far away from the L.A. Basin. The trail follows a stream that flows almost all year long. The best time to take this hike is when the snow runoff is going on. The trail can get crowded on the weekends, but if you go during the week you can have a very nice solitary hike. Ice House Canyon trail can be hiked as far as you want to go and is good for families with small children for the first mile and half.

After that the trail starts to climb as you head toward Ice House Saddle. If you go to the Saddle you will hike 3.5 miles one direction and climb 2600 feet. Once at the saddle there are many different trails to take. Because of the snow covering the north facing slopes we choose to go to Timber Mountain. This is another mile from the saddle and another 1000 feet in elevation. You can get some very nice views of Mt. Baldy and the backcountry from this vantage point.

Location: Take the Mountain or Euclid exits off the 10 or 60 Freeways and head toward the Mt. Baldy Ski Resort. Get your visitor pass at the Ranger Station located in the town of Mt. Baldy. A mile and half past the Ranger Station is the clearly marked sign to the Ice House Canyon Trail Head. Park in the parking lot and start on the trail.

The views from Timber Mountain are worth the extra two miles that it adds to the hike.

As of April 7^th there was still a lot of snow in the north facing peaks. This is the north face of Ontario Peak. The warm weather of the last few days will make the snow pack disappear fast. There was some snow on the trail going to the Saddle in shady areas, but nothing that should stop one from going. The picture below is another view from Timber Mountain. It is hard to believe that one can get this type of scenery this close to Los Angeles.

Trail Conditions: The Ice House Trail that follows the stream is in good shape. The Chapman Trail that is an alternate route to the Saddle is in good shape from the Ice House trail to Cedar Flats. From Cedar Flats to the Ice House Saddle the trail is in poor shape in about four different areas. There are some fallen trees from the winter and some very loose rock on the trail that could be dangerous because of the drop offs. This portion of the trail is not recommended. Stay on the main trail to the Saddle.

I highly recommend this trail, especially this time of year with the snowmelt and all the snow in the high country.

Matt Williams

Email kauai82@earthlink.net

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