City to Fully Close Echo Canyon Trail Sept. 2–18 for Automatic Gate Installation
Phoenix Parks and Recreation will close Echo Canyon Trail entirely from September 2–18, 2026, to install new automatic gates and repair safety cables — the same automated-gate system GOOD|GOAT has been tracking amid its case over the trailhead's unannounced 4:30 AM to 5:00 AM hours change.
Echo Canyon Trailhead Hours Changed Without Public Notice
The City quietly pushed back Echo Canyon's opening time from 4:30 AM to 5:00 AM with no public notice, leaving hikers stuck waiting outside the gates — some of them illegally, per Paradise Valley rules.
GOOD|GOAT Challenges Unannounced Echo Canyon Trailhead Hours Change
GOOD|GOAT is calling out the City's unannounced decision to delay Echo Canyon's trailhead opening from 4:30 AM to 5:00 AM, which has left cars illegally stuck outside the gates each morning and, combined with the summer 8 AM–5 PM hiking restriction, squeezes out older and less experienced hikers before the heat closure.