Camelback: the iconic mountain of Phoenix. The center of the luxury corridor. This mountain has hundreds of thousands of hikers every year, the vast majority of which use the two hiking trails from October through May. The two trails have very different flavors – Cholla is located on the East side and has a more gradual ascent, taking you along the back hump on your way to the peak (the middle hump.) It has some scrambling but is generally the more accessible of the two. The other, Echo Canyon, is not for the feint of heart. You scale the entire mountain (1500 feet) in just over a mile. That’s where this adventure takes place.
On arriving, you’ll quickly ascertain that the parking lot for the Echo Canyon trailhead doesn’t offer much in terms of space. What’s unfortunate is this is a somewhat recent remodel that about doubled the spaces available. Even at 5:15am, literally sunrise, the lot is filling up quickly. After parking you head to the trailhead, get yourself ready, and start heading off. A quick note, if you get here early enough you’ll often find a delightful box of bananas for hikers to enjoy, courtesy of local hiker Jerry Van Gasse.
You’ll work your way up to the first saddle, which offers beautiful views into Finisterre in Paradise Valley as well as the northern slope of the mountain. Brace yourself, because you just did the warm up. Don’t worry about the fencing next to you – it’s mostly to protect the homes below from loose rocks and inconsiderate hikers. Mostly. Instead, focus on what’s ahead: a long string of train track steps.
Take your time, as this is far from the hardest part. Right when you reach the top and feel that a well-deserved break is called for, be prepared to catch your heart before it sinks too far. Ahead is the dreaded (and super fun) handrail section. Maybe you’ll wonder, like I did, how this was deemed the most efficient path up this side of the mountain if mandatory handrails were required to get up.
I find it hard to believe it was the most efficient path, as the incline here is truly obscene. Plus, the granite underfoot has been worn almost completely smooth in most places, meaning you’ll probably rely on that handrail the entire way up. In my opinion the hardest part is the lack of good footholds to compliment the handrails.
The upside is if you can make it up this, you’ll probably make it to the summit. However, your work is far from over. After the first handrail stretch, you have a brief downhill followed by the second handrail. Don’t worry, this one is more approachable in my opinion. Just be aware that this stretch is made of fairly large boulders that can require substantial step height to overcome.
After this, you have the only semi-straight stretch. Take advantage of it, and don’t be shy about resting if you need it and taking in the beautiful views to the north and south, as you’re currently at the camel’s “neck”. If you were wondering, you still have plenty of elevation to go. Up another rugged climb you go, though the handrails will be gone for the rest of the hike. Take your time and use your hands when needed. I usually try to keep three points of contact on this and other sections like it, as the granite boulders can sometimes be worn smooth here as well. Almost like hundreds of thousands of feet have gone over these rocks every year for decades.
Scramble your way around the trees and boulders as you work your way to the final ascent. Be prepared for many false summits on this hike; you won’t know you’re at the top until the boulder-strewn trail suddenly becomes solid granite and you pop out on top of the mountain. Being the summit, this is the terminus for the Cholla trail as well, so expect to see more people here than you might think.
After you’ve taken in the expansive view, start working your way down. Don’t expect to fly down, as the boulder-strewn trail is almost more challenging going down. Accidents are common, especially on the bouldery sections. Be smart, keep three points of contact whenever possible, and focus on just making it down.
For finishing this short masochistic tale, here’s some fun history for you. Camelback Mountain has existed in its current shape for only a few million years – recent by rock standards – and is made of two different types of rock, sandstone for the head and granite for the humps. The mountain was used anciently by the Hohokam, a tribe long gone from the earth. They referred to it as “the Sacred Mountain” and there’s a cave on the north side of Echo Canyon where they performed sacred ceremonies.
In the late 1800s it was briefly part of a huge reservation, but that didn’t last long as the area was already attracting Americans settlers. As the 1900s ticked along, the foothills and flatlands around the mountain were increasingly used for citrus orchards and ranching. Once residential developments started taking off in the 60s, the mountainside quickly became a hot commodity.
Camelback was officially made a city park in 1968 through the efforts of Senator Barry M. Goldwater, an icon in the area. Unfortunately, by that point homes had already scaled halfway up the mountain in some areas, meaning only the higher elevations were protected. The good news is that you can still enjoy the rugged natural beauty through the two fun and demanding hikes on the mountain.