Do’s and Don’t’s for Conquering Camelback Mountain

Camelback Mountain: infamously known as the hardest hike in the Phoenix area. There are two trails to make it to the summit – Echo Canyon and Cholla. The Echo Canyon trail is shorter and features a steeper incline whereas Cholla leads you on a more gradual incline to the peak. Echo Canyon, which is the trail I decided to attempt, ascends approximately from 1,440 ft above sea level to 2,704 ft – technically only a 1.14-mile ascent in total. However, the distance to the summit should not be used as the barometer for how difficult a hike is, as we learned from my experience with Piestewa Peak.

Since I had heard about the difficulty factor from so many people, I’d been continuously putting it off – until my classes were done, until I’d done leg day at the gym a few more times, even until I had the right dad hat (I’m telling you, my procrastination runs deep). I finally decided to go with a group of friends from class. I figured the motivation of eight other students would help me power through, if nothing else.

Ratings by Roshelle:

Dogs spotted: 0
Hike difficulty: don’t bring your dogs unless you plan to airlift them to the top, along with yourself

Do make sure to go with a group. The usual solo hiking proponent that I am, I honestly don’t know if I would have had the stamina to keep scrambling up rock after rock without the promise of my friends holding my water bottle at the top. 

Don’t go with a group larger than eight or nine people. Unless you don’t want to see or speak to most of them for the entire hike. This trail is so crowded that, within about five minutes of the hike, our group of eight immediately split in half. It was like mitosis: we just kept dividing until finally, we managed to reach the top in pairs.

Do pace yourself and take breaks – primarily to catch your breath, but also to take in the beautiful scenery unfolding around you. That, personally, was another setback I felt in doing this trail with a large group: not everyone has the same hiking goals. Some people want to make it to the top as quickly as possible, while others want to go a little more slowly and take in the scenery. I definitely fall into the latter category. Although I do love hiking as a workout (and trust me, you will definitely feel this in your quads the next day), I hate rushing past beautiful sights because your group is about to disappear over another rock scramble without you.

Don’t bring young children or, more importantly, dogs on this hike. The first 3/8-mile stretch of the hike is a relatively simple dirt path. Your legs will begin to feel it, but you won’t need any rappelling equipment quite yet. However, after about fifteen minutes of thinking the Echo Canyon trail isn’t as bad as everyone had told you, you will reach your first rock scramble featuring a rail section. I use the term “first” loosely, because to me, the rest of the hike from here on out felt like one never-ending rock scramble over larger than expected boulders. Another stretch with a rail section eventually appears when you’ve all but given up hope of making it to the top (pause here and imagine the scene at the end of Titanic where the ship is sinking and everyone is holding onto the top rail for their lives – yeah, this rail portion looked a little something like that). After Jack sinks into the ocean and you make it to the top of the rail, congrats, you have another 0.7 miles of rock scrambling ahead of you. Some people can make it to the top in under an hour. I, in the meantime, continued to think about what type of burger I wanted when I made it back down.

Do take time at the summit to enjoy the panoramic views, snag a few iconic photos, and stretch out your legs that probably feel like cement at this point. Okay, if there’s anything to take away here, it’s the stretching part. Touch your toes, do a split, start teaching a yoga class – up to you. Just make sure your hamstrings are ready for part two of the hike.

Don’t try to high-tail it the whole way down the mountain. Especially the morning after a rainfall, like we did. Loose gravel is almost more commonplace on this trail than the large boulders themselves and trying to impress your friends by trail running down over the boulders will almost absolutely guarantee that you will get knocked onto your ass – hopefully just not in front of an entire group of shirtless guys, which is of course what happened to me.

Do discuss what meal everyone wants to get afterwards to distract yourself from the inevitable muscle and joint pain your body is feeling at this point (sometimes I wonder if I’m 24 or 54).

Don’t judge anyone’s fitness level by their external appearance. A 60-year-old woman can be huffing and puffing behind you one second, and the next, launch herself two boulders ahead of you without breaking a sweat. Same with five-year-olds.