Trip Date: March 13, 2019

2019 ARIZONA SPRING VACATION

Camelback Mountain Summit Loop:  West Ridge to East Ridge

Echo Saddle
Camelback Mountain (2704′)
Cholla Bench

Trip Report Summary

Region: Arizona

Sub-Region: Central Arizona

Sub-Sub-Region: Phoenix Mountains

Area: Echo Canyon Recreation Area

Starting & Ending Point: Echo Canyon Trailhead on East McDonald Drive (Elev. 1450 feet)

Way Points: Echo Saddle & Camelback Mountain summit & Cholla Bench & Cholla Trailhead (trail hike & rock scramble via Echo Canyon Trail—Cholla Trail);  Cholla/Invergordon intersection & Invergordon/McDonald intersection & McDonald/trailhead intersection (road walk via Cholla Lane—Invergordon Road—McDonald Drive)

Summit: Camelback Mountain (trail hike & rock scramble via West Ridge; descent via East Ridge)

Approximate Stats: 6 miles traveled; 1450 feet gained & lost; 3.3 hours elapsed.

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Full Trip Report

While vacationing in Phoenix, Eileen and I took the opportunity to tuck in Camelback Mountain. This is the iconic landform that stands 1500 vertical feet above the surrounding desert plain on the eastern edge of the city. Due to its proximity and visibility, Camelback Mountain is an extremely popular destination; even on our midweek trip, we shared the trail and summit with over 100 other hikers.

We began at the Echo Canyon Trailhead at the base of the mountain’s western ridge. Cars were queued up in the parking lot, but we managed to secure a parking space after waiting 10 minutes. From here, the well-worn trail ascends easily to Echo Saddle, then wraps around a cliff and begins ascending more steeply.

The trail degenerates into a Class 2-3 scramble as elevation is gained. However, the scrambling is always enjoyable, with negligible exposure.

In addition to its iconic status, Camelback Mountain presents an interesting geological condition. The western flank (including the “camel’s head”) consists of tilted sandstone, conglomerate, and breccia, whereas the bulk of the mountain (including the “camel’s hump”) consists of massive, coarse-grained pre-Cambrian granite estimated to be more than 1.5 billion years old.

We reached the busy summit at noon (0.9 hours + 1300 feet from TH) and took in views of the sprawling Phoenix metropolis. Visibility was unusually good, we were told, thanks to recent rainstorms.

Never missing a good opportunity for a loop hike, Eileen and I elected to descend by means of the Cholla Trail, which wanders down the mountain’s eastern ridge.

This east-side trail is less popular and less scrambly than the west-side trail, so it makes a good descent route. We reached to Cholla Trailhead in 1.0 hour from the summit (2.3 hours from starting TH).

In order to close the loop, it was necessary to walk 3 miles back on the arterial roadways that run orthogonally around the northern side of the mountain. This part of the loop isn’t very exciting, but it does provide a nice view of the camel’s ridgeline.

After an hour of road-walking, we were back at Echo Canyon Trailhead (3.3 hours + 1450 feet + 6 miles) to finish off a fun loop.

Route Map

Photo Gallery

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