Best Route to Echo Ridge from Echo Lake

From Echo Lakes is there a "best" route up to Echo Ridge? Seemed like most posts had routes that went up the saddle between Cathedral and Echo, but that a bit of backtracking. Wasn't sure how sketchy it would be heading up from due west of Echo Peak. Any input?

What is your definition of "best"?

If not obvious I love the view looking south from Matthes Crest Saddle.... you can go that-a-way...
then zig over and up to the top of Echo Ridge... come back down and the go up some of the
Echo Peaks. Or you can traverse the entire Echo Ridge. afaik East Ridge is class 3... West is class 2

The easiest way up Echo Peak #3 is coming up from the west. You could go up that... come back down...
and around to saddle.. and then up Echo Ridge.
Coming down heading east off of Echo #3 is class 4 ... or more... traversing the whole Echo Peaks is the same...

Plenty do it. I'm not plenty.

All depends what all you want to do and ur skill level.

Echo #3 is the highest... Echo #1 / 2 / 3 and 4 are the prominent peaks seen from Cath Pass.

Have fun (this is what I remember off the top of my head)

Lots of options... even if you don't go up any of the Peaks or top of The Ridge (still haven't myself)

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A while back a buddy and I did some Echo Peak exploration with our wives and our kids, then ages probably 9 to 13. We were camped at Lower Cathedral and as a day trip hiked south almost to Echo, heading then northeast up the minor drainage between Echo and Matthes. While it was steep, the only problem was me having to carry my nine year old up from time to time. We cruised around the Echos and then headed back down to Cathedral Lakes between Echo and Cathedral Peak. All very do-able if you especially if you don't mind steep; not slippery and not exposed as I recall.

Beware pink bird tracks in that vicinity...there's a lot of them heading over to the Cockscomb for some reason.

I've only been up over Echos once from the Budd Lake direction. The wind was pretty wild that day pulling very hard on the bulk of me with backpack. It was quite calm on the south side. Will be doing it again this year on a x-country to Matthes Lake and Emeric Lake. That's why chick-on is offering tips and 3D views. It is appreciated and will be more so when I get the 3D glasses.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2013 07:20AM by tomdisco.

Thanks guys. And Jim definitely get the glasses. I ordered them off Amazon a month or two ago with the link that was posted on a different thread. They really are a lot of fun to look at--although some times they can mess with my brain.