Camelback Mountain: Echo Canyon Trail

Camelback Mountain is the most well known natural landmark in the city of Phoenix. It is a large mountain jutting up 1300 feet from the valley floor. The mountain is made up of two types of rock, granite and sandstone. The mountain is named because well it looks like a camel. There are two trails leading to the top and I chose to hike Echo Canyon due to the fact that it looked more fun and challenging. I hiked the trail at the first part of May and it was a perfect day. I would highly encourage only hiking this trail during the cooler months and not during the heat of the summer. Many accidents occur on Camelback Mountain due to inexperienced hikers. This trail is extremely popular, if you are hiking on the weekend then plan on arriving early or shoot for a day during the week when most people are stuck in their office. The hike is 2.2 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 1,264 feet. It is not a smooth easy path. There are several steep sections and a lot of high steps up boulders. However, the good thing is the trail is not that long. About 0.5 miles into the hike you will come to a rather steep section up a sandstone slab. Remember it is easier to go up then come down, so please make way for those descending. You can use the handrail or make it more challenging and scramble up to the right. After the handrail sections around 0.8 miles the trail heads up the mountain meandering up and over boulders. This part is tough on the legs and lungs. However as I said earlier this trail is not too long so keep that in mind and keep on trekin'. The view from the top of Camelback is impressive. You have a 360 degree view of the the valley below. The top is not very large but will accommodate a good size crowd. We rested at the top for sometime and took in the view. The descent is much easier on the lungs but hard on your knees. Take your time to make your way back down the trail. In fact, it only took us 15 minutes less time to descend than our hike up. I imagine that a lot of ankles are rolled or broken on the descent because the hikers legs are tired. This is a fun hike to do. It gives the hiker great views and can be done in a short amount of time. Plus it is a good workout.

Length: 2.2 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1,264 feet
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult depending on experience
Kids: I hiked this easily with a 9 year old. Just take your time and the kids should be fine.
Hiking Time: 1.5 - 2 hours
Fees: Free :)
Guides: 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Phoenix by Charles Liu