Cucamonga Peak, 8858 ft, is located in Cucamonga Wilderness in San Bernardino National Forest. If you live in Riverside or some place nearby in Inland Empire, you can't miss it, that's the tallest peak you can see from the valley, right above Ontario, usually covered with snow in winter.
It turned out to be a respectful hike, 8 miles each way, with about 4,900 ft altitude gain. It was worth it though ...
We met at 6am on campus, and drove to Middle Fork trailhead (take Sierra Exit from Fwy 15, turn left about a mile after the ranger station, follow the dirt road till the end), getting there around 7am. For the first mile or two, the trail follows Middle Fork Lyttle Creek, traversing covered slopes. We reached the creek crossing after about an hour hike, and took a small detour to get to the waterfall . We took a group picture and enjoyed Italian fashion show . After crossing the stream, the trail becomes rather steep.
We reached the summit around noon, some in better shape than other. Here is Marek exploring the summit , victorious Sohail , and the whole group. We spent some time at the summit enjoying the views. To the south, you can see San Bernardino Peak, San Gorgonio (in the middle), San Jacinto (rightmost), and other mountains. To the west, you would normally see the valley which, thank God, was covered with dense clouds . We were back at the trailhead at 3pm.
