PHOENIX — A lot of hikers like to hit the trails early before the sun rises at Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak to beat the heat. But on Sunday, ABC15 saw at least 10 cars pull up to Echo Canyon trail at around 4 a.m. and those drivers were met with a closed gate.
The sign at Echo Canyon says “sunrise to sunset”, but some hikers say it’s been an unwritten rule over the past decade that they are allowed into the parking lot well before the sun rises. They say it's safer to access the trails before the sun is up and the temperatures rise.
A city of Phoenix spokesperson says Sunday was the day their contract ended with the maintenance company that maintains those parks. Hiking advocates say those maintenance workers are the ones who would open the gates early for them.
The city says a new maintenance contract is expected to begin in the fall, and that park rangers will be responsible for opening and closing the gate in the meantime.
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The city insists there has been no change to park access, stating, “The Parks and Recreation Department currently has no plans to alter park hours… Piestewa Peak is open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., with extended hours during the summer, and trails at Camelback Mountain are open from sunrise to sunset.”
However, hiking advocate Jes Dobbs begs to differ.
“This is now a change in how they manage access,” she said.
Daniel Angulo, a hiking regular known for serving biscuits and gravy at the top of Piestewa Peak before sunrise, says he also saw the sudden gate enforcement in action on Labor Day. He believes extending the hours would be safer for the community.
“We just need more hours to hike safely,” he said. “I hike mornings and I like sunsets and those are the safest times.”
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Hikers spoke out about their concerns at a recent Phoenix Parks and Recreation meeting and multiple hikers reached out to ABC15.
By Friday, it appeared some work was being done to accommodate those concerns, because ABC15 saw the gates open at Echo Canyon at around 4:30 a.m.
However, a petition is now being made to permanently change both park hours from 4 a.m. - 8 p.m. to allow safe usage during the cooler hours of the day. The petition also calls for automated gates, so hikers don’t have to rely on someone to manually open them.
The city says if the community is interested in proposing a change to the trailhead hours, that request could be made to the Parks and Recreation Board for consideration.
