Echo rock and Observation rock (August 26th 2020):
- Road: Suitable for all vehicles.
- Parking: No problem finding a spot on a Tuesday at 9am.
- Trail conditions: Very good.
- Snowfields: Easy to cross. Snow was good, I had good traction with microspikes. The slope is never too steep. No crevasses or anything technical.
- Scrambles: Echo rock is not a hard scramble, you just have to know the route (you can look at my GPX: start from the south, head northwest to the rock cairns, then counterclockwise). Observation rock is not really a scramble, you can just walk up.
- Technical gear used: I had an ice axe, microspikes and helmet. Ice axe was too much, I ended up only using my poles. Microspikes were helpful although not strictly necessary. Helmet was not really necessary since I was just by myself. Do bring one for Echo rock if you are in a group.
- Water: There are a few spots (see my pictures on the map). You can carry ~1L with multiple stops to refill.
- Social distancing: I saw only 3 people up until getting on the Sprak Park trail on the way back. Then I saw maybe ~10-20 people on that last segment.
Comments
Karl Larsen on Observation Rock via Echo Rock, Spray Park, Spray Park Loop
This might just be the best and most in-depth Trip Report I've ever seen! This was exactly what I was searching for. I really like how you included the GTX: I have coordinates from Green Trails, but that only shows the established Spray Park Trail, not the spur trails that branch off to Echo and Observation Rocks.
Posted by:
QuitaCoug on Sep 01, 2020 09:54 AM