Icehouse Canyon Trailhead — Attraction in Wrightwood

May 2021. I had a bad first experience here. We started too late, and also weren't prepared for the unexpected snow and rain.

On a positive note, I wouldn't mind coming back here again, starting more closer to midday or early morning, and going at a very slow to moderate pace. In other words, I felt like I was chasing after a bunch of mountain goat people who had done this hike plenty of times before.

Toilets, there are two of them in the parking lot that are in decent shape. They are the vaulted Style. You may want to bring a roll of your own toilet paper, since sometimes there isn't any. Also, the doors do not lock, so definitely come with a hiking partner who can stand guard while you do your thing.

Parking, you have to get there before 7 a.m. to find a spot. Otherwise you're parking about a half mile down the road. Forest Advenure pass required, and it must be displayed in your windshield. Read all the parking signs carefully! You will get ticketed if you're parked in the wrong spot.

So here are some things I learned from my first experience.

NOTE! This is a more upper intermediate to Advanced Trail, especially the first couple miles I was able to do before turning back! Some parts are like a staircase, other parts have an insane incline. There are some stretches for about fifty feet or so that are more flat, but then be prepared to do more incline hiking.

A set of hiking poles helps!

If you're out of shape, or haven't hiked in a while, this is the kind of trail that you'll need to stop every 25 - 50 feet. Remember, you are starting at a higher altitude, so a person can get easily winded and tired.

DO 1. Make sure you have a hiking buddy that is going to stay with you, or at least within twenty feet of you. You might want to call it quits, and just make sure that the people you're with are on the same page.

Make sure you have plenty of water with you, at least 1 litre, if not more depending how long/high you're going to be hiking. The only water source will be the river to your right, which needs to be filtered.

The parking lot is at elevation. Please keep this in mind before starting your hike or backpacking Adventure. What I'm trying to say here is that you really should acclimate to the altitude in the parking lot for at least an hour or 2 before you start your hike.

And now for the Backpacking/ Overnight Camping Things That Suck hiking up from the Trailhead: Don't start your hike an hour before sunset. From the parking lot, the trail starts out as a sort of fire Road, wide enough for a car. But quickly Narrows into a single 2 foot wide Fox Trail, if that's what you want to call it, after you pass the wooden bridge. There are a lot of rocks and boulders right in the middle of the trail. So at night time, it becomes very confusing to know where the actual trail goes, even with a flashlight/Headlamp. Does it goes straight, to the right? Or does it go to the left up a Switchback? A person could get really disoriented, so please be careful!

At night, it is very hard to see any of the signs. You can easily miss a turnoff to go up to Cedar Glen let's say. Even during the day, You might pass the sign, and not realize it for a mile.

There is zero cell phone reception in the parking lot, or anywhere on the trail, at least for the 2 miles up I was on it. If you are getting dropped off, please have your pick up planned in advance. You won't be able to call anyone is what I'm trying to say.

Check the weather the morning of your hike or backpacking trip, and also check it for different elevations. 2 days prior, the weather report was supposed to be clear skies, 40-50°. Turns out the day of our hike, the weather had changed, and it was raining in the parking lot. Worse, snowing about a mile or two up, with temperature close to 20 degrees, AND wind chills in the teens. 🥶

Lastly, would I do this again? Definitely! LOL. I just want to start out earlier in the day, take my time at my own pace, and then have plenty of daylight to get to where...

This trail is so beautiful. If you want to explore the forest and the desert in one hike this is the one too do it.

I would say that this trail is pretty difficult, I would recommend you be in somewhat decent shape before you try and tackle this one. Bring a few bottles of water you will need it if you are coming up in the summer months.

This trail is very rocky and not easy terrain, so bring some comfortable shoes so you can finish the hike. When you get halfway the trail will be all desert and that is when you will need your water.

Overall the trail is easy to follow you shouldn't need a GPS to navigate it. When you get to the top of this trail you can choose to go even farther if you want to.

I have seen children and dogs on this trail, so bring them if you think they can handle it. Get to the trail early in the morning, during a weekday parking is easy on the weekend I can see it being very hard. Around 11 AM is when the trail is starting to see more people than early in the morning. If you want to hike with your own group then come in...

I went out hunting for snow as close to LA as I could find (review written February 7th, in case you're doing the same).

This was the perfect snow hiking experience for a relaxing day. Warning- sections of the main trail are muddy or semi-icy from packed snow. Make sure your shoes have adequate grip and deep texture, or wear spikes of some kind. Slips happen.

There's snow everywhere! It's in the process of melting, and there's occasional patches of dry dirt. Still, there's other spots where snow is soft and a foot deep, and your foot gets swallowed up whole. The snow is melting much slower than the weather would otherwise have you believe. A long-sleeved shirt was all we needed to stay warm. The air was incredibly warm out by the cars, but the snow along the path kept the air very comfortable on the hike. Make sure your shoes are water-proof or -resistant, and you'll be completely comfortable.

Lovely little stream running alongside the whole time. We only went up about a mile and took a very...