As of January 2014 the Echo Canyon trail has been reopened! Check out the official report from the City of Phoenix Official Web Site outlined below.
The renovated summit trail and expanded trailhead parking area at Camelback Mountain’s Echo Canyon Recreation Area are now reopened. Echo Canyon hours year-round are sunrise to sunset.
The improvement project:
- Doubled the size of the parking area to 135 spaces from 68 currently.
- Renovated, rebuilt and rerouted the first 1/4-mile of the summit trail to improve footing and eliminate erosion-prone areas and to improve hiker safety and increase long-term sustainability for the mountain.
- Added permanent restrooms with flush toilets, a chilled drinking fountain, new shade ramada and integrated bike racks.
- Improved pedestrian safety through the addition of walkways throughout the parking area for hikers approaching the area on foot, who in the old design had to use the roadway to approach trails.
- Improved vehicle and pedestrian safety at the park entrance through the addition of a roundabout at the park entrance. The roundabout will control vehicle speeds at the park entrance, making it safer for hikers crossing over to the trailhead and for vehicles entering the lot.
- Improved traffic flow and reduced traffic through the creation of separate entrances for the trailhead and the neighboring residential area.
Pictures of Parking Changes
| New Upper Parking Lot | New Lower Parking Lot |
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| The newly completed upper lot at Echo Canyon. This area also features new restrooms with flush toilets, chilled drinking water fountain, ramada and seating areas, and integrated bike racks. | The completed lower lot at Echo Canyon area. This section now boasts expanded, dedicated parking spaces and new pedestrian walkways. |
Narrated slideshow on the lower trail improvements
Narration Transcript from Video
In addition to a major expansion and improvement of the parking areas, crews have rebuilt and rerouted the first quarter mile of Camelback’s Echo Canyon Summit Trail. Most of the trail remains the same, but as these images shows, the lower section had become a major erosion and safety hazard. The original route cut right across major ridges and got steep too quickly, requiring heavy use of artificial steps, leaving the trail susceptible to the ravages of time, weather and heavy wear and tear.
In addition to being unsafe for hikers, the old lower trail section was also bad for the mountain, which was slowly being washed away. To avoid these areas, hikers went around them, leading to a vicious cycle of ever-widening erosion and impact.
So city staff and Okanagan trail construction a professional trail building firm designed and built a lower trail section along a completely new route that follows camelbacks natural contours. It’s far better for the mountain because it will be more resistant to erosion. It’s also better for hikers because it’s designed to be wide enough to safely fit the heavy two-way traffic that moves through the area, and because it’s a smooth natural surface, hikers would be able to get through more safely, especially on the way down when tired legs are more prone to trips and fall. This new trail alignment adds just over one eighth of a mile to the total trail length.
Beyond the lower section, the rest of the Echo Canyon summit trail remains the same; extremely difficult. With more than 1,200 feet of elevation gain, hiking the summit trail is the equivalent of climbing to the top of the Empire State Building. It’s a staggering ascent for many. What’s more, hikers on Camelback have to climb through some of the most challenging trail conditions in the city. Including Echo’s telltale railings and its sections of steep slick rock and boulders.
Making it to the top is only part of the challenge. Many injuries on Camelback occur on the way down, when fatigue and gravity come into play, and with steep conditions falls can easily get serious. The saddle at the top of the new lower trail section is a great turnaround point that offers great views of the mountain and a panorama of the greater Phoenix area.
New signage throughout the lower section will graphically outline the challenge of the trail and also make it easier to understand Camelback’s Sonoran desert features. In addition to Camelback, Phoenix has 180 miles of trails and many more summit climbs to choose from. Many with great views and smaller crowds. More trail information is available online at phoenix.gov/parks
Have you been on Camelback since the improvement project? Let us know below…
