Alternate access to Camelback/Echo

[nonot]

So the hike itself is short, is there a recommended spot nearby to park and just walk a mile down the road or something...I'm not a big fan of waiting for spots to open up.

[joebartels]

Not really if you want to be legal. The nearby neighborhood streets are posted no parking. Dave1 or someone in our hike today mentioned getting a ticket in the neighborhood once. There's more options on the cholla side. Yet the broken glass often seen tells the story of what goes on when hikers are out of view. Biking in is an option too.

[nonot]

Damn suburban sprawl. I guess I could walk from the Cholla side

[trekkin_gecko]

there is a small parking area on the north side of mcdonald, just east of 44th street
i've parked there a couple times
it's a ten minute walk to the echo canyon trailhead

[Nighthiker]

Can't figure out why no one has started a shuttle bus service. Not only to Camelback but also some of the other popular outdoor places across the Valley.

[Dave1]

Open house tonight to discuss Echo Canyon improvements

PHOENIX -- An open house will be taking place on Monday evening to inform hikers about the upcoming improvements to the Echo Canyon area of Camelback Mountain.

The open house is scheduled for October 1 at 6 p.m. at the Devonshire Senior Center, which is located at 2802 E. Devonshire Avenue.

The event will cover the planned improvement to the hiking trail as well as the parking lot.

Back in May, the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board approved a plan to expand parking at the Echo Canyon lot from 68 spaces to 132.

The project will also include a new roundabout on MacDonald Drive to slow traffic at the park entrance. Walkways will also be added to the parking lot to improve pedestrian access.

Crews will also be renovating and rerouting the lower portion of the trail to eliminate areas that are prone to erosion.

Construction is expected to begin early next year. It will require the parking lot and the trail to be closed for at least six months.

For more information call 602-261-8318 or visit Phoenix.gov/parks.

[big_load]

I think it's funny that AZ is adding roundabouts all over the place while many of the states that have had them for generations (including NJ) are spending big money to eliminate them.

[beterarcher]

Lots of roundabouts in CA. I moved back to AZ and they are popping up every where. I think they're following me. I heard an urban legend that the guy that invented them died in an accident on one. It will be easier to park when they finish but it will probably be more crowded. Just think, the city won't be rescuing as many folks off the mountain for about six months.

[PatrickL]

Man, closed for six months? Piestewa will be packed!

[trekkin_gecko]

closed for six months kinda sucks
my feeling is that the parking situation keeps echo from being even more crowded than it is now

[outdoor_lover]

@Patrick L
No, the Parking on Invergordon will be a nightmare. People will still do Camelback, they'll just do it from the Cholla side....

[big_load]

Lots of roundabouts in CA. I moved back to AZ and they are popping up every where. I think they're following me. I heard an urban legend that the guy that invented them died in an accident on one. It will be easier to park when they finish but it will probably be more crowded. Just think, the city won't be rescuing as many folks off the mountain for about six months.

I had some fun poking around on some of the recent NJ changes. They're less than halfway through a more than 2-year, $13M project to get rid of Netcong Circle (the one closest to me). Pulling out Ledgewood Circle (the next closest) a while back was of similar scope. The big, hairy one is Somerville Circle, which after $26M and years of construction is still really a circle, despite the official claim that it isn't. I don't know if they'll ever really fix that one. There are still many more, but they're coming out one by one and no new ones are being built. I'll be especially happy when they get around to fixing Flemington.

[joebartels]

traffic on McDonald is pretty low so the roundabout could work
yet it could become a mess with hikers driving in circles waiting for a space

on Happy Valley Rd you're in a live video game with no extra lives, I imagine that one is scary for newbies

Exhibit 14 is here for those that missed it

[chumley]

Look kids ... Big Ben ... Parliament!
http://youtu.be/iAgX6qlJEMc

[big_load]

Exhibit 14 is here for those that missed it

That looks reasonable for traffic flow. I can't remember how many parking spaces there are currently. Is this much of an increase?

[joebartels]

68 spaces to 132

kind of a drop in the bucket but...
- how crowded does anyone really want it?
- This seems to have little to do with hiking so the spaces are kind of irrelevant. Squaw is way busier (likely due to more parking) and you'll never see 3 rangers standing directing traffic in the summer like you do at Camelback. It seems to be the neighborhood claiming emergency vehicle access. Hopefully it will get more rangers on the mountain with hikers like Squaw. They all seem helpful at Squaw and Camelback. Yet I only see one guy on Camelback on occasion whereas 3 or 4 regularly hike Squaw in season.

[big_load]

kind of a drop in the bucket but...
- how crowded does anyone really want it?

Good point. The crowds are why I never go back there, especially the unprepared crowds.

[DarthStiller]

I haven't hiked Camelback in almost 10 years and I'm considering it this month to take my kids for their first time. Sounds like the parking has got even worse. Might have to reconsider.

[kingsnake]

I know someone who lives on Echo Canyon Ln. It's a major pain in the eggplant ...

[PatrickL]

@Patrick L
No, the Parking on Invergordon will be a nightmare.

That too! It would be easier to just roll over to Piestewa.