40 min
Overview
The hike showcases one of the few populations of Alaska yellow cedars (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) in the Central Cascades, including the state champion. The trail is often overgrown and is far less visited than the nearby trails leading to Iron Mountain and Cone Peak. The main impediment to access is the last couple of miles of road in to the trailhead. High clearance is recommended. The trip begins on a former logging road in a small stand of young fir trees along Echo Creek. The fir trees give way to a narrow alley of alders. Along this portion of the trail you will see the large cables left behind from the tree harvest in the late 1980s. After 0.3 miles, you will enter mature forest. Look for the shaggy gray bark of the Alaska cedars. At a half mile, you will reach a small footbridge that starts the loop trail. Take the loop in either direction to travel through the giants. After a short distance, the trees open up and you will find yourself in the great meadow amphitheater of Echo Basin. The basin is ringed by Echo Mountain and its sub-peaks, including North Peak. Travel across the often soggy meadow is aided by using the puncheons—large planks through the wetlands. Continue across the meadow to re-enter the forest and return to your car. For a longer trip, it is possible to ascend to the top of the ridge and travel cross country all the way from North Peak to Iron Mountain.
Trail Stats
0.0 km
198 m
1487 m
0 m
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Photos
400px-EchoBasinMap
400px-EchoBasinMap
250px-Cedartrees
250px-Cedartrees
250px-Ginger
250px-Ginger
400px-Echobasin
400px-Echobasin