Access for the Echo Canyon TH is on SH 82 from either the east or west. On the east side, turn west onto SH 82 for Twin Lakes from US 24 between Leadville and Buena Vista. It's about a 12.5 mile drive to the trailhead which will be on the north side of the road. The TH is not marked and it's difficult to spot the turnoff from the highway. Drive slowly to spot it. It's easiest to use the coordinates we provide, but to help, the Echo Canyon TH is 3.0 miles west on SH 82 from the entrance to the Twin Peaks CG.
If approaching from the west, we're assuming hikers will be coming from/through Aspen. Take SH 82 east from Aspen all the way over Independence Pass. Drop on down the east side of the pass into the Lake Creek valley heading south, then east. From the turnoff for FR391 which leads to the La Plata TH, drive another 2.1 miles east to the Echo Canyon turnoff on the left (north) side of the highway. A cabin will be in view when you make the turn.
Once you've identified the correct turnoff, in a short distance, (about 100 yards) the road forks. You may either turn right, proceed a little further west or park. The old road heading north goes to the trail for Echo Canyon. If you park at this intersection, there's only room for a couple vehicles. 4WD could drive up this road to the creek crossing but it's hardly worth the effort on the very rough road.
There are three National Forest campgrounds east of the TH on SH 82. They include the Lake View, Parry Peak and Twin Peaks. Some additional at-large camping may be found west of the TH along SH 82, but private property abounds so be careful where you choose to camp and most of these spots are occupied on summer weekends. Our favorite and usually least crowded and easiest to access is the one where a diversion tunnel exits and empties a lot of water into Lake Creek. There's a trail here called the "Graham Gulch." See coordinates below. Use this link to obtain more information about the three national forest campgrounds: https://www.forestcamping.com/dow/rockymtn/siinfo.htm