"Hiking is a bit like life. Enjoy the beauty along the way."
"Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain,
but all the happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it."
~Andy Rooney
Making a list and doing a number of hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains was on my Updated Bucket List. I have hiked Echo Mountain previously, with Donna in January 2013 and with Tracy and Jen in December 2015, but I wanted to do it again in YEAR 77. I recruited Gerard and Harry to join me and we decided to hike Echo Mountain on February 22, 2018. In addition to good exercise, reducing stress, getting out in nature, and seeing wonderful scenery, hiking Echo Mountain allows a person to imagine an exciting time in our history and stand among remnants of that time. See A Little History below for a description of what existed at Echo Mountain in the late 1800s through the early 1930s.
The hike begins at the top of Lake Avenue in Altadena where we began the hike around 8:00 am on a beautiful, clear morning that was on the chilly side. We passed around the Cobb Estate stone gateway and walked along the paved driveway, looking for the beginning of the Sam Merrill Trail. The last photo below shows Gerard and Harry returning to the paved driveway, since we had turned north before reaching the Sam Merrill Trail (which was not clearly marked by the way). It was a little embarrassing for me, however, since I have done this hike twice before and didn't recognize when to make the turn.
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The resort complex at, and around, Echo Mountain was created in the late 1800s. What is known as the Sam Merrill Trail was built during the 1930s by Charles Warner and the Forest Conservation Club of Pasadena to replace the original, overgrown footpath. During the 1940s the trail was maintained and improved by Samuel Merrill of Altadena and subsequently named after him. Today it is kept in good condition by the Altadena Trail Blazers. The trail zigzags steadily up the slopes of Los Flores Canyon and Rubio Canyon, reaching the historic ruins in about 2.5 miles.
As we ascended the mountain, the views of San Gabriel Valley, the zigzagging trail below, and the cities of Pasadena, Glendale, and Los Angeles in the distance, were wonderful.
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Part way up the mountain we came onto a really nice bench with a view. Harry and Gerard had to stop and take a rest.
(The truth of the matter is that I talked them into trying out the bench so that I could take a rest).
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As we were approaching the Echo Mountain site there were a number of signs where various trails converged. There are three trails that lead beyond the site that we visited. The first junction is the old rail bed of the Mount Lowe Railway, called the Railway Bed Trail, which leads you 0.8 mile to the Cape of Good Hope. The Sam Merrill Trail continues another 3 miles from where we stopped to the Mt. Lowe Campground (former site of the Mt Lowe Tavern) and the Castle Canyon Trail splits off from the site we visited and goes 2 miles to Inspiration Point. At some time in the future I intend to hike these trails to explore what they have to offer. There is a 12-mile Mount Lowe Railway "Loop Tour" (no sign for this) that includes the hike we were on, but also includes the old railway bed, Mt. Lowe Trail Camp, Inspiration Point, Castle Canyon, back to Echo Mountain, and the return to Altadena. The most interesting sign for me was the rock structure including the Sam Merrill Trail. My immediate reaction was that if that impressive sign post would have been at the beginning of the trial we wouldn't have made a wrong turn (not a serious comment). The sign was dedicated to Samuel Merrill, "Conservationist-Mountain Lover-Trail Keeper." It was erected by the Sierra Club in 1949 and restored by the Scenic Mt. Lowe Historical Committee in 2017. The third photo below shows the well-maintained trail.
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Exploring the Echo Mountain site was very interesting. The concrete foundations and steps of the old hotels remain, as well as the old rail bed of the Mt. Lowe Railway, old wheels from the trolley car, and the remains of the incline tram depot and powerhouse. Seeing the ruins, and the photos on the well-written narrative signs allow you to imagine the activity that took place all those years ago. There is a picnic area shaded by quite a few beautiful pine trees that is very inviting and might be a fun place to take a picnic lunch.
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I've hesitated putting photos of the many narrative signs on this blog because I know they won't be readable. However, a few will give you an idea of the information presented currently at the site, you can see some of the photos and I can explain a bit about what they say.
Photos from the left:
The first sign-post shows a photo of the White City, which as you can see is a large complex of buildings. The words on this sign say, "END OF THE LINE. This is the view you have as you approach the White City from Alpine Tavern (circa 1898). The tank like structure located to the lowest far right was used for the storage of gas. The gas was piped up from Pasadena, eight miles away, to power the generators which produced electricity for the complex."
The second photo shows a closer view of the Echo Mountain House. The text below says, "From his Civil War days on, Professor Lowe loved pomp and ceremony. Completion of each new installation and hotel provided and excuse for a celebration. Echo Mountain House was finished on November 24, 1894. In this view, Professor Lowe, many of his friends and Pasadena civil leaders, line the wide verandas of the completed structure for the familiar official photographer."
The third photo shows the dance hall as you are looking toward the San Gabriel Valley. The sign says, "CASINO AND TENNIS COURTS. Circa 1901: this photo was taken to your left and up the ridge from where you are standing. The large building was the "Casino" Dance hall and Tennis courts built about 1900 would be to your right. Behind it is the 1899 and 1895 power plants and the Car House to the right. Behind where you are standing. The Echo Mountain House (missing in this photo) to your far right burned in 1900. The other buildings in this photo burned in 1905."
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Behind the hotel and water reservoir site is an “echo-phone.” We each shouted and whistled through the echo-phone and could clearly hear the sound repeated as an echo in surrounding mountains. I assume this is the genesis of the name Echo Mountain.
We were back to the cars at the trailhead at 11:30 am - about a 3 1/2 hour, 5-mile hike. It was fun chatting with Gerard and Harry, and great to be in the mountains enjoying nature.
A Little History: From the late 1800s to the early 1940s, it was popular for people in the Los Angeles area to hike on weekends for their enjoyment to various lodges in the San Gabriel Mountains. The Mount Lowe Railway complex was envisioned by a Civil War balloonist and inventor, Professor Thaddeus S.C. Lowe, and an engineer named David J. MacPherson. Their collaborative efforts produced Southern California’s must-visit attraction, drawing more than three million visitors from 1896 to 1936. Echo Mountain, at 3,207 feet elevation, was known as “The White City” and the heart of the resort was two hotels; Echo Mountain House and The Chalet. There was also an observatory, a small zoo, a powerhouse, machine shop, reservoir, and the world’s most powerful searchlight. To reach Echo Mountain, guests rode a trolley up Rubio Canyon to the terminal of the great incline tram. They then boarded “White Chariots” for a breathtaking ride that climbed 1,200 feet to the White City. From the White City, guests could board the Alpine Division of the Mount Lowe Railway for a 4-mile winding trolley ride to the Mount Lowe Tavern tucked in a oak-shaded recess on the southwest flank of Mt. Lowe. From the tavern, a series of trails provided further scenic adventures. Through a series of fires and windstorms, the White City was destroyed; Echo Mountain House first (1900), then all but the observatory (1905), and finally the observatory itself (1928).
Photos below are from a 2015 Echo Mountain hike I took with Tracy and Jen. Photos are - standing at the Echo Horn, amid some of the railway relics, and on the remainder of stairs to the Echo Mountain House.
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