Camelback Mountain

Having never hiked Piestewa Peak Summit or Camelback Mountain, I thought I would try and knock them both out on the same day – When I finished Piestewa around 5:00 PM on Wednesday I drove over to Camelback Mountain – When I arrived, I grabbed my gear and started hiking the Echo Canyon Trail – It was just before 6:00 PM and I noticed a sign stating the parking lot closed at sunset and cars still there would be issued citations – Knowing it would be impossible to finish before sunset, I returned to the car and reserved a room on Hotwire

I returned to Camelback Mountain around 8 AM the following day, Thursday, April 29th – Unlike the day before at Piestewa, it was clear and warm – I brought my trekking poles, but soon realized my hands needed to be free for scrambling rocks and put the poles in my pack – My gloves came in handy – I reached the summit around 10 AM – Temperature was in the mid 90’s – In addition to the views at the summit, my favorite part of the hike was descending the long hand rail section backwards – It was reminiscent of the time I rappelled at the Philmont Scout Ranch in 2000 – Big fun taking huge steps  backward

Like Piestewa, the Camelback Mountain Echo Canyon Trailhead is run by the City of Phoenix, has a large parking lot and restroom with running water – No fee is required to park in the lot or hike the trails – The Echo Canyon Trail is heavily trafficked even during the week