This is another of those twelve-bugs-in-your-mouth trails like the Mt. Wilson trail of a couple of weeks ago. The landforms of the eastern end of the San Gabriel Mts are rough and rugged, and the Cucamonga Wilderness lives up to its name. However, this trail is unrelentingly steep, the trail surface is often dangerously loose requiring poles or sticks, and is even compromised in a few places where you have to work your way gingerly across loose, steep slopes. Exercise extreme caution, especially when coming down. The trail goes 6 miles to the major junction at Icehouse Saddle, and due to a late start I only got four miles up. At this time of the year, most things are either in seed or fruit, or are dried up, so many of these pictures show what the plants look like now, but there were a few things in bloom. I will make another attempt to get to Icehouse Saddle when the weather has cooled off a bit and I can leave earlier in the morning.

Bush senecio
Senecio flaccidus var. douglasii
Asteraceae

Parish's goldenbush
Ericameria parishii
Asteraceae

Sawtooth goldenbush
Hazardia squarrosa var. grindelioides
Asteraceae

Hollyleaf cherry
Prunus ilicifolia ssp. ilicifolia
Rosaceae

Hollyleaf redberry
Rhamnus ilicifolia
Rhamnaceae

California buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Polygonaceae

Scalebroom
Lepidospartum squamatum
Asteraceae

Twiggy wreathplant
Stephanomeria virgata
Asteraceae

Johnston's monkeyflower
Mimulus johnstonii
Scrophulariaceae

California fuchsia
Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium
Onagraceae

Bigleaf maple
Acer macrophyllum
Aceraceae

White alder
Alnus rhombifolia
Betulaceae

Rock goldenbush
Ericameria cuneata
Asteraceae

Manzanita
Arctostaphylos sp.
Ericaceae

Birch-leaf mountain mahogany
Cercocarpus betuloides var. betuloides
Rosaceae

Whorl-leaf penstemon
Keckiella ternata
Scrophulariaceae