Located just 20 minutes from downtown Phoenix, Camelback Mountain is a Phoenix icon and popular outdoor destination for thousands of visiting hikers each year. Phoenix’s desert preserves, including Camelback Mountain, are home to native species such as the desert tortoise, chuckwalla lizard, cottontail rabbits, and rattlesnakes (hike with caution). Plant species include the saguaro, cholla and prickly pear cacti, as well as native trees such as mesquite and palo verde.
HIKING
Trailhead hours: Sunrise to sunset
Both Echo Canyon Trail and Cholla Trail are rated extremely difficult, challenging hikers with exposed rock, strenuous climbs and sections of hand-over-hand climbing. Dogs are prohibited at all Echo Canyon and Cholla Trail areas.
