Echo Mountain Hike on the Sam Merrill Trail

In This Guide	Turn by Turn Hike Directions & Video Echo Mountain Trail Maps How to Get to Echo Mountain Optional Side Trip to Inspiration Point
Total Distance (?)	5.4 miles (8.7 km)
Other Options	10 miles
Hike Time	2.5 Hours (Total)
Difficulty (?)	Hard
Total Ascent (?)	1,730 feet (527m)
Highest Elevation	3,207 feet (978m)
Fees & Permits	Free
Dogs Allowed	Leashed
Alerts & Closures (?)	Los Angeles River Ranger District
Park Phone	818-899-1900

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.

These directions have an optional hike extension to a scenic viewpoint at Inspiration Point. See directions for more info.

Echo Mountain Hike Mt Lowe Railway — 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. This hike has an interesting history.

The Sam Merrill trail to Echo Mountain starts at the 1070-acre Cobb Estate, which is now public parkland, but was originally built by lumber magnate Charles Cobb. He passed away in 1939, and it became a retreat for nuns for a few years, and then the Marx Brothers bought it in 1956. They realized the property was not usable and had the structure torn down in 1959. In 1971 an anonymous donor purchased the property and gave it to Pasadena to turn into a park. 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, which was the only electric mountain railway ever built in the USA. At the time it was built in 1893, it was considered a modern marvel and had over 3 million visitors during its lifetime.

The railroad lead to the Echo Mountain House Resort (cool old pictures here), which you can see the ruins of at the summit of the Echo Mountain hike. There was a hotel, restaurants, tavern, observatory, million candlepower searchlight, and the famous echo-phones which you can still use today.

The resort and railway weathered some fires and natural disasters over the years, but the great flood of 1938 (the same one that created the Bridge to Nowhere) was the final nail in the coffin, washing much of the railway and resort away. From there, 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.

Where is the Echo Mountain Hike?

Use this as the trailhead GPS address: 3302 Lake Ave, Altadena, CA, 91001, USA.

Parking is free on residential streets around the trailhead. It’s a popular hike so you might have to park a few blocks away.

parking for echo mountain hike — There’s plenty of street parking. It’s a popular hike, so you might have to park a few blocks away.

Gear for the Hike

This is a bit of an in-between hike. You can certainly do this with fitness clothes and minimal gear, but I do recommend hiking gear if you have it. The Echo Mountain hike is a steady uphill, so prepare for the effort. If you’re going to do the extra loop to Inspiration Point, definitely use hiking gear.

Altra Lone Peak 5
For most people, the Altra Lone Peak is a solid choice that will leave your feet feeling great at the end of any hike. The feel is cushy and light, and if it had a car equivalent, this would be a Cadillac or Mercedes Sedan. The grip is great and they’re reasonably durable for this type of trail runner, which I think is better in most conditions than a hiking boot, and here’s why. The downside of this shoe is that it won’t last as long as something like the Moab 2 (see alternate footwear choices at the bottom of my gear page). I’ve been using mine for many miles and my feet always feel great. Watch my video explaining why they are a great shoe here.
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Latest Price on Women’s Shoe – REI | Amazon
Latest Price on Men’s Shoe – REI | Amazon

Stay Safe Out of Cell Phone Range
If you’re not familiar with the Garmin InReach technology, it allows you to send and receive text messages where you don’t have cell phone signals. You can also get weather reports and trigger an SOS to emergency responders. Even if you don’t have an emergency, sending a quick message telling a loved one that you’re okay or are running late is well worth the cost. The Garmin InReach Mini (REI | Amazon | My Review) fits in your palm and weighs next to nothing.

Gaia GPS Mapping App
Smartphones are not backcountry instruments, but almost everyone has one today. And they all have GPS onboard. So I recommend getting a good GPS hiking app like Gaia GPS that supports offline maps. Just make sure to put your phone in airplane mode so the battery doesn’t drain. GaiaGPS not only has smartphone and tablet apps, but also an online planning tool. You can drag the GPX hike tracks from my (or any) guides into the online map and they will sync to your phone. You can also check for wildfires, weather, snow, and choose from dozens of map types with a premium membership (HikingGuy readers get up to 40% off here). Note that I also carry a paper map with me in case the phone dies or gets smashed.

Here’s my complete gear list that I personally use, have tested, and recommend, updated July 2021.

My July 2021 Top Gear Picks

No company pays me to promote or push a product, all the gear you see here is gear I use and recommend. If you click an a link and buy gear, I get a small commission that helps keep the website ad and promotion free. There is no cost to you.

Echo Mountain and Sam Merrill Trail 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.
You’ll be sharing the trail with mountain bikers. Keep your eyes and ears open, especially on the decent.

Explore Map on CalTopo View a Printable PDF Hike Map Download the Hike GPX File

If you try to download the GPX file and your browser adds a “.txt” or “.xml” extension to it, simply rename it as a “.gpx” file.

How are you going to navigate this hike?
To start, you should always have a paper map and compass. And it helps to print this guide out or save it on your phone. I highly recommend a GPS as well. I use the Garmin Fenix 6 Smart GPS watch ( REI | Amazon | My Review) with maps (or the more affordable Garmin Instinct). The GPS smartwatch is nice because it’s rugged, works if your phone dies, and also has a billion other features like sleep tracking, workout recording, etc.

If you want to do the hike to Inspiration Point, use this GPX file: echo-mountain-hike-with-inspiration-point.

echo mountain 3d map — It’s an out and back hike to Echo Mountain. If you continue to Inspiration Point, there’s a scenic loop.

echo mountain hike elevation — The hike to Echo Mountain climbs steadily. This chart includes the hike extension to Inspiration point.

Echo Mountain Hike Directions

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