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Echo Canyon, UT

The ground rules for climbing location "yeahs" and "neahs"
  • Each location will receive an opinion rating - "It Rocks!", "Worth It," "Meh," or "Trash."
  • Each crag has its own personality with unique advantages and challenges, which are highlighted.
  • It is tempting to list “beautiful” as a “yeah,” but that is true for a lot of crags. I allude to beauty and scenery in the summary. You can also (sometimes) tell by the photo. If the place is a dump, then that will be listed in the “neahs” and rated as "Meh" or "Trash.


Summary
Echo Canyon is located off Interstate 80 about 1 hour east of Salt Lake City, UT or Ogden, UT. It is a small series of cliff/canyon bands of reddish colored conglomerate rock (similar to the famous Maple Canyon). Looking on a map, it seems like it is in the middle of nowhere, and as far as amenities are concerned, it is. But its trashiness and proximity to the Interstate and railroad tracks annihilate any sense of peaceful remoteness. 

Grades, Bolting, and Guidebook Tips
This area is more recently developed and the grades are in line with "modern" climbing grades. The bolts are closely spaced and end in anchors. A number of climbs share anchors, so watch out for that.

A few climbs are in David Robb's Ogden Area Climbing Guide from Brigham City to Echo Canyon, but Mountain Project is currently the best resource for this area. On Mountain Project, find it under Utah (not Wasatch). In Mountain Project there are nice detailed directions with mileage listed for each wall/area. https://www.mountainproject.com/v/echo-canyon/105855359

Camping
There are primitive make-shift camping sites up in some of the canyons. There is one larger site that can be driven into at Bear Hollow. There is a "fire-pit" and small stream (that may not run in the summer) next to the site. Honestly, I don't know if you would get any sleep here between the trains and Interstate noise. With the number of shot gun shells and graffiti, I'd personally have the heebee jeebees "sleeping" here.

There is nice pay camping at nearby Echo Reservoir (about a 5-10 minute drive away).

Rock Type and Climbing Style
The rock here is conglomerate (river rocks and pebbles in sandstone), very similar to the famous (and far more beautiful and extensive) Maple Canyon. The rock quality is pretty solid, but rocks definitely do pop out of the matrix. It is recommended to wear a helmet. The climbing style is face. If you have never climbed this style of rock, you might consider trying some easier climbs first. From the bottom of a climb it looks like holds-galore - not necessarily so! ​

Yeahs
  • Cool rock
  • Nicely bolted routes
  • Echo Reservior - A lake is about a 5-10 minute drive away. Great for a cool dip on a hot day.

Neahs
  • Very loud - frequent trains and constant semi-trucks cruising by. The noise is so close and so loud that it is difficult to concentrate. A bad combo if you are trying to stick a hard move on lead.
  • Diesel and creosote fumes - The fumes are strong and constant. A headache is almost guaranteed.
  • Black soot on the rock and in the soil from the trains. It gets all over your clothes and hands. 
  • Trashy - Glass, shot gun shells, and graffiti.
Picture
"Rock Art" adds to the "ambience" at Echo Canyon, Utah.

Opinion Rating
Meh (I really wish I could give it "worth it"...)


I vacillated between giving this a Meh versus a Trash rating, and I really wish I could give it a "worth it" rating because the rock and bolting are great. I want to applaud and thank the efforts of the route developers here. The area is actually pretty but unfortunately marred by thoughtless people and detracted from by the trains and interstate. The trashiness (e.g. shot gun shells, graffiti) combined with diesel fumes, soot on the rock, and loud noise push things towards a "Trash" rating. So I settled in the middle with "Meh." If you think you can tolerate the noise, smell, and trash, then definitely check it out.

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© COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK, COMMON CLIMBER, 2016-2019  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Writing
    • All Writings (List)
    • Adaptive Climbing >
      • El Capitan: Enock Glidden
      • My Journey to Adaptive Rock Climbing
      • Planning for Mt. Rainier: Adaptive Climbing
      • Resources - Adaptive Climbing
    • Alpine >
      • California Still Has Untouched Climbing Wilderness
      • Mt. Ogden Spanking
      • Mt. Whitney Whipping
      • My Common Alpine Epic
    • Equipment (writings) >
      • 8 Reasons I Carry a Full Rack on Every Trad Climb
      • Carabiner Strength Ratings
      • Climbing Shoes Fit
      • Guide Book Follies
      • Rope Buying 101
      • The One Item to Stockpile
      • Which Way Should I Carry My Trad Rack?
      • Why GriGris Suck
    • Facebook Feature >
      • FF: Trees & Climbing
    • Grades, Styles, & Types >
      • Bouldering-Falling
      • Bouldering Grade Advancements
      • Grading Climbs at the Gym
      • It's a F-ing Chimney
      • Onsight vs Flash vs Etc...
      • Top 10: Increase the Climbing Grade When...
      • Trad Climbing is for Chicken Sh*#s
      • WTF 5.7?
      • 18 Climber Types: Which Are You?
    • Kids >
      • Family Stages
    • Legends >
      • G - Todd Gordon
      • H - Hugh Herr
      • J - Saxon Johns
    • Other/Misc >
      • Climbing, Community, and the U.S. Presidential Election
      • Climbing Drinking Games
      • Climbing Gyms: The Gateway Drug
      • Climbing Hands
      • Climbing Resolutions
      • Demented Dirtbag
      • Don't Take Granite for Granite
      • Dorothy, We Aren't on Havana Anymore
      • No Health Insurance Changed How I Climb
      • Snakes and Ladders
      • Starting Over
      • The Bane of Northwest Climbing
      • Things of Stone and Wood
    • Poetry/Prose >
      • Anti-Social Climbers
      • Ice is Nice
    • Mental-Physical >
      • 12-Weeks to Onsighting a 5.8
      • How Auto-Immune Disease Affected My Climbing
      • Mastering Joy on Easy Street
      • Mind, Body, and Soul
      • Of Cartoons and Quickdraws
      • Push and Pull
      • Sorcerer and the Kidney Stone
      • The Devil's Game
      • The Taste of Climbing
    • Social/Social Media >
      • Climbing into the Fold
      • Diversity in Climbing is Not a Bandwagon
      • My Husband Climbs Stronger than Me
      • Fuck "Gumbies" and "Noobs"
      • Social Network Rescue
    • Safety and Skills >
      • Bolting and Ground-Fall Potential
      • Euro-Death Knot is NOT
      • Multi-Pitch Tips: Two ATCs
      • Sketchy Anchor Bolts
      • Sliding-X Anchor
      • Three Ways to Use a Stick Clip
      • Top 10: Climbing Best Practices
    • Themed Editions >
      • Joshua Tree Articles >
        • Bouldering: JTree Made Me Do It
        • Improv at JTree: Bad Bolts
        • JTree: Bolting Pressure Cooker
        • Joshua Tree: Heinous Approaches
      • Developers and Guidebook Authors >
        • Kevin Powell
        • Rock Star Groupie
        • Tony Calderone
      • Exploring Our World >
        • AUSTRALIA - Photographer - Diego Perez
        • AUSTRALIA - Profile - Julie Anderson
        • Book Review - Climbing Rock
        • CHINA - From Yangshuo, to Getu, to Liming
        • FRANCE - Verdon in Winter
        • GREECE - Meteora
        • ITALY - Dolomites
        • MEXICO - La Huasteca
        • SPAIN - Artist - Karmelo Onate
        • UTAH - This One Makes You Taller
      • Overcoming Boundaries >
        • Photographer - Brook Anderson
        • Profile - Louise Shepherd
        • Profile - Megan Banker
        • Profile - Shawn Axelrod
        • Rock Type 1
        • The Tape Job
      • Women's Edition >
        • Editorial - Women's Edition
        • Climbing is My Art
        • Mt. Logan Solo
        • Photographer - Michelle Ranee Johnson
        • Profile - Caitlin Schokker
    • Travel Stories >
      • Bliss: Climbing in the Blueys
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina Crag
      • The Legend of the ‘Unclimbable Cliff’
      • Vedauwoo, WY
      • Zone of Craptitude
  • Marketplace
    • Store
    • Climbing Addicts Colored Chalk
    • Climb-On Maps
    • Permagumby (formerly Crusher Climbing)
    • Dynamite Starfish
    • Hero Clip
    • Neilico
    • NW Alpine
    • Rockytalkies
  • Reviews
    • Books >
      • Advanced Rock Climbing Book Review
      • Adventures at the Edge of the World
      • Hangdog Days Book Review
    • Equipment/Gear >
      • Belay Device Review >
        • Edelrid Mega Jul
      • Harnesses >
        • ArcTeryx-FL-365
        • Misty Mountain Cadillac
      • Packs and Bags >
        • Sukoa Chalk Bag Review
        • Trango Crag Pack
      • Personal Anchor Systems >
        • Camp-Daisy-Twist
        • Petzl-Dual-Adjust
  • Photographers
    • J - Michelle Ranee Johnson
    • N - Tiffany Nardico
    • P - Diego Perez
  • Locations
    • 2019 U.S. Rock Climbing Festivals
    • 'Round the World >
      • 20 World Destinations for Adventurous Climbing
    • Australia >
      • Queensland, Australia >
        • Kangaroo Point Photos and Beta
        • Kangaroo Point Review
      • New South Wales Australia >
        • Blue Mountains >
          • Blue Mountains Photos and Beta
          • Blue Mountains Review
        • Nowra >
          • Nowra Photos and Beta
          • Nowra Review
    • Mexico >
      • Potrero Chico Photos and Beta
      • Potrero Chico Review
    • United States >
      • Climbing Area Check List - U.S. >
        • Climbing Area Check List Part 1: Alabama to California
        • Climbing Area Checklist Part 2: Colorado to Michigan
        • Climbing Area Checklist Part 3: Minnesota to New Mexico
        • Climbing Area Checklist Part 4: New York to Wyoming
      • Arizona >
        • Queen Creek Canyon
      • California >
        • Joshua Tree >
          • Joshua Tree Tips
        • Mount Whitney >
          • Mount Whitney Photos and Beta
      • Idaho >
        • City of Rocks >
          • City of Rocks Photos and Beta
          • City of Rocks Review
      • Oregon >
        • Smith Rock >
          • Smith Rock - Photos and Beta
          • Smith Rock Review
        • Spring Mountain >
          • Spring Mountain Review
          • Spring Mountain - Photos and Beta
        • Trout Creek >
          • Trout Creek Photos and Beta
          • Trout Creek Review
      • Nevada >
        • Gun Club
        • Keyhole Canyon
        • Red Rock Canyon >
          • Red Rock Canyon Review - Yeahs and Neahs
          • Red Rocks Photos and Beta
      • New Hampshire >
        • North Conway, NH
        • Rumney, NH
      • New York >
        • Gunks Review
      • Utah >
        • Echo Canyon
        • Ferguson Canyon >
          • Ferguson Canyon Photos and Beta
          • Ferguson Canyon Review
        • Ibex >
          • Ibex Photos and Beta
          • Ibex Review
        • Maple Canyon >
          • Maple Canyon, Utah Photos and Beta
          • Maple Canyon Review
        • Moab >
          • Moab - Main - Photos and Beta
          • Moab -Main - Review
        • St. George >
          • St. George - Prophesy Wall- Photos and Beta
          • St. George - Prophesy Wall - Review
      • West Virginia >
        • Seneca Rocks
      • Wyoming >
        • Ten Sleep
  • Contributors
    • Photos by Contributor
    • Writings By Author >
      • B - Stephanie Bahnsen
      • B - Dave Barnes >
        • Dave Barnes Extended Bio
      • B - Keith Bell
      • C - Erin Collins
      • C - James Crump
      • D - Stefani Dawn
      • G - Leesa Gallia
      • G - Enock Glidden
      • H - Grey Hensley
      • J - Jonathan
      • K- Melissa Kline
      • K - Christine Kuebler
      • M - Rick Momsen
      • O - Maggie Odette
      • P - Emilie Pellerin
      • P - Brice Pollock
      • R - Monique Richard
      • R - Juan Rodriguez
      • S - Jeff Smoot
      • T- Frothy Thomson
      • T - Matt Tredway
      • W - Lani Wilson
  • Contact and Submissions
    • Dialogue
    • Mailing List Request
  • About Common Climber
    • Why I Started Common Climber
    • Welcome Dave Barnes!