Cucamonga Peak is one of the highest peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains

San Gabriel Mountains

The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...

 of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The area is in the Cucamonga Wilderness

Cucamonga Wilderness

The Cucamonga Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California. The wilderness is managed by the United States Forest Service in Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests. Elevations range from about ....

 on the San Bernardino National Forest

San Bernardino National Forest

San Bernardino National Forest is a federally-managed forest covering more than 800,000 acres . There are two main divisions which are the San Bernardino Mountains on the easternmost of the Transverse Range, and the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains on the northernmost of the Peninsular...

. Named for Tiburcio Tapia's Rancho Cucamonga

Rancho Cucamonga

Rancho Cucamonga was a Mexican land grant in present day San Bernardino County, California given in 1839 to dedicated soldier, smuggler and politician, Tiburcio Tapia by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. The grant encompassed present day Rancho Cucamonga...

, the mountain towers over the present-day cities of Rancho Cucamonga

Rancho Cucamonga, California

Rancho Cucamonga is a suburban city in San Bernardino County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,269, up from 127,743 at the 2000 census. L. Dennis Michael was elected as Mayor on November 2, 2010. Jack Lam is the City Manager...

, Ontario

Ontario, California

Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...

 and Fontana

Fontana, California

Fontana is a city of 196,069 residents in San Bernardino County, California. Founded in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area...

. The peak can be seen west of Cajon Pass

Cajon Pass

Cajon Pass is a moderate-elevation mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. It was created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault...

 on Interstate 15

Interstate 15

Interstate 15 is the fourth-longest north–south Interstate Highway in the United States, traveling through the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Montana from San Diego to the Canadian border...

, the route from Southern California

Southern California

Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

 to Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

. The peak can also be seen on a perfectly clear day from San Jacinto

San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto is a city in Riverside County, California, U.S.A. It was named after Saint Hyacinth and is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south. The mountains associated with the valley are the San Jacinto Mountains. The population was 44,199 at the 2010...

 46 miles (74 km) to the southeast.

The trail to the summit begins in Icehouse Canyon. A Forest Service trail (7W07) leads from here to Icehouse Saddle, from which the Cucamonga Peak Trail (7W04) leads to the summit. The round trip is 14 miles (22.5 km) long with an elevation gain of 4300 feet (1,310.6 m). A wilderness permit is required.

See also

• Rancho Cucamonga for theories of the word Cucamonga's origin.