Inspiration Point Trail

Inspiration Point is a 5.4-mile out-and-back from Echo Canyon Trailhead, linking the Ed Riggs, Mushroom Rock and Inspiration Point trails. Plan on 3–4 hours; the park classifies it as strenuous, and the walk gains roughly 1,000 feet. You walk among the rock towers for much of the way before the overlook opens up, so this is a good half-day choice if you want more than a quick stop from the scenic drive. The full outing includes the approach and the return; the final Inspiration Point spur is only the last half-mile. This route follows the Echo Canyon approach. Massai Point is another official access, but it changes the walk.

Ed Riggs is mostly downhill for about its first mile. It passes through pine and shrub cover, then brings the rhyolite columns and walls close to the path. Expect uneven dirt, gravel and rock underfoot, with rock steps at a junction. Continue onto Mushroom Rock Trail: it drops briefly, then climbs again, and the named formation sits off to the right around the middle of that stretch. At the next junction, take the half-mile Inspiration Point spur. Most of this last climb is uphill; it eases near the top as the view starts to spread out. Remember that the easy-feeling first descent is a climb on the way back.

Inspiration Point looks across a wooded canyon lined with tall, freestanding columns. The view opens in several directions, including Rhyolite Canyon and Cochise Head; from the overlook you can see how the pinnacles continue along the canyon walls. A wide frame that catches the near columns and the valley beyond gives the rock towers some scale.

These columns are rhyolite tuff, formed from ash and debris in an eruption of the Turkey Creek Caldera about 27 million years ago. Fissures broke the rock into sections, and erosion shaped those sections into pillars. Many of the formations were given names in the 1930s, so the route's named landmarks are part of a longer history of people learning and building paths through the rock country.

Edward Murray Riggs grew up in Sulphur Springs Valley. After exploring the pinnacles, he and Lillian Erickson Riggs worked to promote and protect the area; the monument was established in 1924. In the 1930s, Ed worked as a local expert with the Civilian Conservation Corps and designed many of the trails still used here. Walking the Ed Riggs section is a good reminder that this route follows an old, deliberately built path through difficult terrain.

Start at Echo Canyon Trailhead, where the parking area and restrooms are close to the route. Bring enough water for the full walk; shade is limited on some stretches. Pets are not allowed on park trails, and no reservation is required. The route is listed year-round, but winter can bring icy or snow-packed trails from January through March, and the hiking trails can be exposed to strong winds. Check current conditions before driving up.