Phoenix hiking mecca Echo Canyon reopens

PHOENIX — The Echo Canyon Trail at Camelback Mountain reopened at sunrise Wednesday with more parking spots, restrooms and major trail improvements and some ground rules.

Bikes will not be allowed on the trail, which was closed for nearly a year, and no dogs will be allowed on the trail for the first six months after the reopening. Park Ranger Cody Huggins will be enforcing that one strictly.

“The trail is tough. You’ve got the dog on a leash. It’s a big obstacle and it’s a small trail so it does create a problem,” Huggins said.

Dogs can still be taken on the Cholla Trail on Camelback’s southern face.

Huggins said the over $4 million improvements at Echo Canyon include bike spots but riders are still not allowed on the trail.

Rangers expected big crowds for the next several days. Almost three-quarters of a million people climb Camelback every year.