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Going to Phoenix, Arizona? Take the time to visit Camelback Mountain, a prominent landmark of the Phoenix metropolitan area. It is located in the Camelback Mountain Echo Canyon Recreation Area and is a popular destination for hiking and rock climbing. Camelback Mountain is a pastime for folks in Phoenix being a favorite destination for urban hikers.
Camelback Mountain is one of the key attractions of any ultimate travel guide to Phoenix. Phoenix is a great place to enjoy during the winter and climbing it in the cooler months is advisable to escape the heat of summer. Camelback Mountain is a city park in Phoenix and one of the great free things to do in Phoenix.
What To Know About Camelback Mountain
The name comes from the mountain resembling the hump and head of a kneeling camel. Camelback Mountain is hard to miss when visiting Phoenix as it forms the backdrop to the city. It is unusual for having some of the youngest and oldest rocks in the nation.
- Height: 2,704 Feet
It seems Camelback Mountain was a sacred site for the prehistoric Hohokam culture as indicated by a cave discovered on the north side of the mountain.
The Hohokam culture abandoned the area in the 14th century. It was briefly included as part of a reservation for the Salt River Pima and Maricopa American Indian tribes in 1879. But this was reversed, and today it is a Phoenix city park.
The Geological Oddity Of Camelback Mountain
One of the strange things about Camelback Mountain is that it is composed of a geologic unconformity between two separate rock formations. The higher part of the peak is made up of Precambrian granite and is around 1.5 billion years old.
The head of the 'camel' is mostly red sedimentary sandstone dating from around 25 million years old.
It is a place where people can see some of the oldest rocks together with the youngest rocks found anywhere in the world.
The granite makes up the hump of the 'camel' and is formed from ancient igneous rock that was formed from molten rock many eons ago. It was formed deep in the then relatively new crust of Arizona. This rock remained buried for most of time, but around 25 million years ago it emerged as the South Mountain range was uplifted by tectonic motions.
The South Mountain range is located 10 miles to the south of Camelback and granite very gradually slid from the rising slides of South Mountain.
Another great place to discover a billion years of earth's geological history is at the Grand Canyon which the Colorado River has cut down through the eons of time. The Trail of Time is intended to be a trail through geologic time managed by the National Park Service.
Hiking Trailing On The Camelback Mountain
There is a choice of two hiking trails that lead to the peak of Camelback Mountain. The Echo Canyon Trail and the Cholla Trail both of which climb up 390 meters or 1,280 feet to the top of the mountain.
Both of the hikes are steep and take a round trip of between 1.5 hours to 3 hours. The wider Eco Canyon Recreation Area has many other hiking trails.
Echo Canyon Trail:
The Echo Canyon Trail is 1.1 meters or a little under two kilometers long. But don't be deceived by its short distance - it has steep grades and is considered strenuous, intense, and difficult anaerobic. The trail is handrail-assisted in places.
- Length: 1.1 Meters or 1.9 Kilometers
- Level of Difficulty: Difficult
Cholla Trail:
The Cholla Trail is only marginally longer than the Echo Canyon Trail. It stretches for 1.4 miles or 2.3 kilometers. As with other hiking trails in the Southwest, keep an eye out for rattlesnakes along the way. From the top, hikers can enjoy great views of the Phoenix Valley.
- Length: 1.4 Meters or 2.3 Kilometers
- Level of Difficulty: Difficult
People should have a reasonable level of fitness climbing these trails and take plenty of water.
Another option is to go rock climbing on the red sandstone rock formation of The Praying Monk (it is said to resemble the silhouette of a person kneeling in prayer).
While in Arizona, take the time to explore the Wild West town of Tombstone and see reenactments of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.