Walking Wild & Free

Echo Canyon Overlook 1

Echo Canyon Overlook

Echo Canyon Overlook 1

Echo Canyon Overlook

Take Echo Canyon – the longest canyon in the Funeral Mountains – to an overlook of the Amargosa Desert and the Shoshone Mountains.

Total Distance: 6.8 miles out & back	Elevation Gain: 698ft. (4,123ft. to 4,731ft.)
Difficulty: Moderate	5+ Mile Difficulty: Moderately Strenuous
View Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0	Author’s Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0
Visitor Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]	Visitor Difficulty Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]
Pets: No	Horses: Yes
Best Seasons: November-April	Special Permits: None
Water Availability: None	Overnight Options: Free-range camping permitted
Trailhead Amenities: None	Crowd Factor: Solitude
Trailhead Access: 1.9
Uses:	Trail Surface:
Features:	Hazards:

Mile-by-Mile: Echo Canyon Overlook

0.0 End of Echo Canyon Road (4,123ft.). The wilderness boundary marks the beginning of the hike. The route travels up Echo Canyon, twisting and turning between (somewhat) narrow canyon walls with the whims of the canyon. The route was once a railroad grade, although I have found very little information about the railroad. A small dryfall (Class 2) must be negotiated at mile 0.4, then a more major (easy Class 3) dryfall a tenth of a mile later; take the right (main) canyon at this point. After this obstacle, the streambed widens as the hills drop around the wash until the streambed is traversing a brushy plain. Continue to follow the main wash across the plain – it mostly follows the base of the hills to the north. (36.495815°, -116.684620°)

2.1 Leave wash onto an old road (4,534ft.). The old road turns northeast here while the wash goes southeast. Scramble left up out of the wash, over the hill, and drop into another wash. Despite a fairly defined trail going up the other side of this second wash, you want to turn right up the wash. The road also follows the wash, though it’s not always visible. Continue to follow the road until it nearly reaches the rim of the Funeral Mountains. From here, you can walk to the rim and enjoy the view or continue to follow the road northward to what was an old parking area shortly before the road would have dropped down into a canyon to descend off the Funeral Mountains. (36.502343°, -116.651744°)

3.3 More or less end of road (4,611ft.). There isn’t much to see here, so turn right to scramble up the hill to the east (not as hard as it looks). (36.510788°, -116.639028°)

3.4 Top of hill (4,724ft.). Views extend across the Amargosa Valley, Amargosa Desert, and back into the Funeral Mountains. You may wish to walk along the ridgeline for more views, though the scramble becomes more sketchy (it’s easier to stay on the ridgeline after the second summit than to hike along the side of the hill). (36.5119320°, -116.6361290°)

History & More

Echo Canyon is technically the longest canyon in the Funeral Mountains.

A railroad grade once ran up Echo Canyon. However, I’ve been able to find very little about it in my research. It likely supplied or carried ore from the mines in the region.

The old road may be obvious, or nearly invisible in the desert. Be prepared for wayfinding if it’s difficult to spot. In general, if you keep heading north and east, you’ll come to the rim of the Funeral Mountains sooner or later.

This is a truly spectacular hike. Mountains rise around Echo Canyon, and the views into the Amargosa Valley and across to the Shoshone Mountains in Nevada are beautiful.

Download Trail Map

Driving Directions

Take CA-190 to the Echo Canyon Road. Drive up the Echo Canyon Road to its end, 10.9 miles from the paved road. Park at the end of the road to begin the hike.