Echo Canyon is no joking matter. Come dressed comfortably, bring plenty of water and if you can, come early to beat the sun. It's a terrible idea to be looking up into blinding sunshine. Finding a place to securely place your hands and feet is already a daunting task. Doing it while somewhat limited in sight? That blows. (Wear really good shades.)\n\nWhen they say the parking fills up fast, they mean it here. The parking lot opens at sunrise. It fills up. ASAP. If you're ok with circling around the neighborhood to wait, good for you. Otherwise park nearby and Lyft/Uber over. (It's currently six bucks to Uber from 44th & Camelback. Meet your friends there and carpool. Have some brunch at Flower Child afterwards.)\n\nI absolutely, positively loved this hike. Yes, it's hard. But there is limited loose gravel to contend with. Yes, you are often scrambling around on your hands, or scooching on your butt, to get over a rock. (A pair of climbing gloves would be awesome.) Ascending the steep areas that are lined with a fence and/or pole are difficult. People will end up lined up behind. Patient. Kind. Polite. This is Phoenix after all. You need to hold on for dear life.\n\nBut when you reach the top. Oh yes. You will feel like a Queen. (Or a King :) The view up here is amazing. Stunning. Don't be silly and attempt to take a selfie. Ask someone for heaven's sake. How often do you get to do something so kick butt neat? Selfies are ridiculous.\n\nAlthough there are plenty of trail markers it's not a clear ascent or decent. You will need to use your brain. You will need to judge each step. \"Do you switch back? Can you stretch that far? Are you strong enough to jump? Should you jump?\"\n\n(Probably not. You'll either fall down causing a massive slide into other people. Or, just fall down a cliff.)\n\nI completely understand how and why people end up on the news. You need to be careful. If night falls I honestly would just stop moving. I would wait for the morning and see if I had the energy to come down. Otherwise I wold wait. One can easily go off trail here with one step. PFfft! Down a ravine. Don't mess around. \n\nCome prepared and enjoy the view of a lifetime. Gotta love Phoenix!
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