The Echo Mountain hike packs a lot of bang for the buck. You’ll hike up the Sam Merrill Trail, which follows the old Mt Lowe railway route up to Echo Mountain, where you can see the old ruins of the Echo Mountain mountain resort. USA Today included the Echo Mountain hike as one of the “10 Great North American Hikes” and Sunset Magazine called it one of the top 45 hikes in the west. The hike is easy to follow, has an interesting history, offers great views, is a good workout, and is close to LA. Overall it’s a win.
Distance
5.6–10 mi
Difficulty
Hard
Total Climbing
1460–2740 ft
Time
3–5 hrs
GearHiking gear and trekking poles. Bring a minimum of 2L of water. You can see all the gear I use on a hike like this here.
WhenSummer usually very hot, rarely sees snow in winter.
This trail is currently closed due to a fire closure. Check the Angeles NF Alerts page for current status before you go.
Video
Parking
Getting to the trailhead for the hike is easy. You just park on a city street in Altadena.
Info
This is a residential neighborhood. Please don’t block driveways, avoid no-parking zones, keep the noise down, and don’t leave trash behind.
Maps
In general the trail is popular and easy to follow. If you are unsure of your position, you’ll probably see other hikers who can help you out.
I’ve included an optional hike extension to Inspiration Point, which adds another 5 miles onto the hike. If you have the energy, go for it. Inspiration Point has great views and a unique viewing station. Read below for all the details.
There’s no getting around it, you’re pretty much going uphill the whole way. At the end, it flattens out. On the way back down, you do this in reverse.If you do the optional trip to inspiration point, you have about another 1500 feet of climbing.The purple line shows the trail up to Echo Point. You’ll climb up the east side of Los Flores Canyon. If you opt into the extenstion to Inspiration Point, you’ll keep hiking up to about 4500 feet, then loop back down.
History
The hike will parallel some of the old Mount Lowe Railway route. Here you can see the electric trolley filled with tourists climbing to Echo Mountain.
The Sam Merrill Trail to Echo Mountain starts at historic Cobb Estate, now public parkland, but was originally built by lumber magnate Charles Cobb. After he passed away in 1939, it became a retreat for nuns, and then the Marx Brothers bought it in 1956. In 1971 local conservationists raised the $175,000 to purchase it, and then donated it as parkland. And it’s allegedly haunted, so there’s that.
As you climb the trail, your route will parallel some of the old Mount Lowe Railway route, the only electric mountain railway ever built in the USA. When it was built in 1893, it was considered a modern marvel and welcomed over 3 million riders during its lifetime.
The Mount Lowe Railway led to the Echo Mountain House, which was a 70 room Victorian hotel built to rival the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. It was intended to be a full-service resort ‘a mile up in the sky.’ At the end of the hike you’ll see the remains of the resort.
The resort and railway weathered some fires and natural disasters over the years, but the great flood of 1938 was the final nail in the coffin, washing much of the railway and resort away. After that, Sam Merrill, who lived with John Muir as a young man and was active in the Sierra Club, restored and maintained the trails to Echo Mountain. When he died in 1948, the Sierra Club named the trail after him.
Directions
The hike starts where the road makes a 90-degree turn.Right after you make that turn, you’ll see the entrance to Cobb Estate. Hike through the gate.After a few minutes of hiking, look for a trail sign and turn off to the right.This part can be a little tricky. When you see the next sign, make the hard left right after the sign. Avoid the trails up to the left before this sign.There’s a water fountain here. Make sure you’re topped up for the climb.Once you’ve made the turn, say on the left side of the dry wash. You’ll see a lot of trails down into the wash which you should avoid.When the main trail crosses the wash (just past a concrete dam), hike across, avoiding trails up the wash.The trail winds around to the other side of the ridge, where you get views into Rubio Canyon.Keep heading up the main trail past the bench. The bump ahead is Echo Mountain.You’ll see the 200,000 gallon reservoir in Los Flores Canyon below. There are also some old abandoned gold mines down there that date back to 1893.And then you’ll see a post, this is the top, the climbing is over.Here’s the junction at the post. Make the right to head to the historic area and echo phone.You’ll see these old-style ‘gravestone’ trail signs up here, which I think date back to the original resort.Keep hiking straight past the Sam Merrill (upper) trail on the left.And then straight past the Castle Canyon Trail on the left, through the interpretive displays ahead.There are lots of (dated but still interesting) interpretive displays and historical markers to check out.You’ll pass the wreckage of the old railway trains.You’ll reach the foundation of the resort. Check out the views, and then hike up the stairs on the left.When you get up the stairs, the echo phone is through the foundational ruins up to the right.And here you are at the echo phone. If you yell into it, your voice will echo across Rubio Canyon ahead.If you look up from the echo phone, you’ll see the viewing pavilion at Inspiration Point above.
Inspiration Point Extension
As you hike back out from the picnic area, look for the Castle Canyon trail to Inspiration Point is to your right. It’s smaller and overgrown, so keep your eyes open. It comes a minute or two after leaving the resort ruins area.There’s an old stone marker just past the trail. Make sure the sign says Castle Canyon. The next trail to the right is identical, so check the trail name.After a few minutes, the trail follows the left side of Rubio Canyon. It’s very scenic.Turn back for some great views of downtown LA.At around 4.9 miles, you’ll start to see the Inspiration Point pavilion. Almost there!You made it! You will reach Inspiration Point in a little over 5 miles.One of the neatest things here is Telescope View. Each tube is pre-set with the right direction to look for the respective sights. Keep an eye open for the viewing tube for Inspiration Point - it’s pretty funny.On a clear day you can see Catalina. Opposite the pavilion are view of Mt Wilson, which is also a great hike.When you’re done soaking it all in, head straight down the road (left if you’re looking at the trail from inside the pavilion). There’s a sign pointing you in this direction for the Sam Merrill Trail.At about 0.3 miles from the pavilion, you’ll reach a junction. Make the hard left onto the Sam Merrill Trail. You won’t be able to see it easily as you approach.At around 6.5 miles in, there’s a split in the trail. Head left. If you want a quick detour with views, go to the right on the ridge. A lone pine tree marks a great vista point. Head back after checking it out.Shortly before you arrive back at the resort ruins, you’ll see some more ruins including the old Mount Lowe Observatory.
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