Camelback Mountain Hike - Echo Canyon Trailhead & the Secret Cave
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มิ.ย. 2024
- Camelback Mountain Hike - Echo Canyon Trailhead
Let's get this out of the way; I love Camelback Mountain. This was one of the main trails that got me into hiking. I drove past it a million times and always said "One of these days I'm going to climb that thing." One day I did. It was hard. I struggled. But I made it. And, more importantly, I loved it. Next thing I knew, I was running up and down it to see how fast I could make it to the top and back.
If you watch my other videos, you probably know that's not really how I hike anymore. But it's a good analogy of how these Phoenix hikes are. Camelback Mountain is surrounded by a sprawling city. It has houses and resorts on the base of it. Camelback Mountain is not a wilderness experience.
But that's OK. I've been doing a lot of these local hikes lately and they are more about the exercise and the sense of accomplishment than solitude and wilderness. Which is fine sometimes. Beats the heck out of a treadmill.
I originally planned to do the full Camelback through hike, starting at the Cholla trailhead and coming out the Echo Canyon trailhead. Unfortunately, the Cholla trail was closed for maintenance when I was there. This caused a dilemma. See, there is plenty of parking along Invergordon Road if you go in on the Cholla trailhead side. Echo Canyon, by contrast, is notorious for it's small, overly crowded parking area. And the neighbors are not too keen about hikers parking along their streets, so parking outside the parking lot is a good way to have your car towed or ticketed. But I was there and figured I would give it a try. And I lucked out. At 11AM. On a weekend.
It's been a while since I climbed Camelback Mountain. Every time I do, I think it will be no problem since I've done it so many times before. And every time I get to the handrail section at Echo Canyon, I'm reminded that Camelback Mountain is steep, rugged and it will kick your butt. But that's part of the appeal.
I had an added treat on this trip. I've never noticed it before, but there is a secret cave on Camelback, just off the main trail. At around the .19 marker going uphill, look to your left. You'll see a "beware of bees" sign. Walk past the sign and the cave is straight ahead. The secret cave is none too secret. There was a line there when I went. And once you've done it, it is painfully obvious from the trail, and you'll wonder how you didn't see it before.
And that's it. A couple more steep, boulder filled chutes and you're at the top. There are great views all around, not to mention you'll feel like you really accomplished something. If you have not checked out Camelback Mountain and you're in Phoenix (or visiting), check it out.
NOTE: The desert is hot. There is no water or shade on the trail. Seems every year people get in trouble on Camelback. It's especially bad as apparently a lot of hotels tell out of town guests to check it out. And if you are not used to the Phoenix desert, you have no idea how dangerous it is. This hike is best done in the cooler months and you need to bring plenty of water.
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I'd love to do some hiking out that way! Thanks for sharing
We were in Tempe for a few days so we took public transport to the Echo trail end, hiked all the way over and down the cholla trail then had to walk all the way back to the Echo end and caught the bus back to Tempe. Phew. It was 84° which is not bad but we had come from 40° in western Colorado. No one was on the cholla side, very crowded on the steep side. Very enjoyable hike.
I've climbed it so many times, but never the Cholla side. One of these days....
If you like challenges try that in reverse.... first mimosas and pancakes then running up and down the trail😉
I recently did something similar involving mexican food and margaritas, then backpacking. I didn't get very far.
I did this December 6th 2022. Missed the cave but it was a pretty good climb. I am not a experienced hiker at all but I go to the gym a lot and do a lot of cardio, it was still pretty strenuous, you need to be in halfway decent shape to do this. For me going down was slower and more difficult than going up but I really enjoyed it and am glad I decided to do it while visiting Phoenix. Hydrate yourself before the climb and take water with you. Temps were in the 60s when I did this and I was still sweating pretty good, you will need water.
Great tour, i want to hike with you! Full watched and supported. Stay connected, my friend
Back in 1974 I pitched a tent in that cave. It was much smaller then. We parked on south side by water tank and climbed to the top from there. Probably not accessible now.
That would be a great place to camp. They don't allow overnights now and I've heard they'll ticket your vehicle. Luckily, there are plenty of caves out in the Supes.
LOL! Great hike and excellent ending. Good job bro!
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Sometimes I wonder if I hike because I love hiking, or if I hike because I love the post hike meal.
The echo canyon side was one of my lunchtime hikes up to the fence and back . Yes it is a great workout ! Did Hyroglific canyon on Sunday afternoon. Great edge of the valley hike and crowded . 4mi RT and ankle did great .
I haven't done that one yet. I hear it's pretty, especially when there's water running. One of these days.
Great storytelling Jerry! Hey I’ll take a crowded hike up a mountain over the flat terrain we have here! When my wife says I’m cranky my hiking options are limited.
Btw, that section that crawls along the fence is cool in its own unique way.
That spot is fun. And yeah. You're in Texas, right? Seems flat, but you always figure out a way to get to some cool scenery.
@@JerryArizona , yep, here in Texas...I mean it’s pretty but I do love some elevation. I think my big issue here is that all of the hiking trails close by are a shared mountain bike trail...made for biking so the trails always zig zag to pack in as much trail as possible in a small area...not fun for hiking. We have some descent trails about 2.5 hours away.
I hiked camelback in august of 2019..i barely made it down. I started to get cold on the way down & had no sweat😬. I had plenty of water too. I won't ever do it in the summer☀️ again lol
Impressive that you did Camelback on a single cup of "house coffee" with some creamer! I would be a hypo-glycemic bag of vibrating mess before half way up!
I almost always start the day on coffee and not much else. The pancakes at the end helped me power through.
All the years I lived in the Valley I never hiked Camelback. Had plenty of invites from friends and a fun looking hike but just too many people for me. My sister still lives in the area and hikes it on a regular basis.
I get it. I have a soft spot for Camelback because I started on it and then moved to more challenging and secluded stuff.
I have hiked Camelback twice being from Philly it was a totally new experience but both times as I was getting close to the the top people would ask if I was ok I must looked like I am dying this also happen in the Grand Canyon on the south Kaibab trail I come around a corner feeling pumped up and proud of myself when all of a sudden a passerby shouts out “ hey man are you ok”
That cracks me up for some reason. But good for you. Kaibab is no joke. I STILL haven't done the Grand Canyon. Had it scheduled this year, but you know, the whole pandemic thing....
Did south kaibab to ranch and up Bright angle 25 yds ago . I learned the hard way why you must wear a bigger boot by loosing 4 toe nails . Took way to much gear and by the time I got to the bottom 4 toes nails were purple. Cut the top of boots were toes make contact and hike out bright angle next day . Then had them drilled to release blood. Gruesome story but we just might save a few toe nails out there ha ha .
You made that climb look easy! lol
I myself have tried to reach the top twice now without actually reaching my goal for very specific reasons.... but they do say that third time is the charm soooo yeah, I gotta get out there soon once more and make it happen. This next time tho, ill definitely be making that stop by the "Secret" cave in the hopes I find more bees that hikers. One can dream, right?
You can do it! This was actually my first hike in the valley. I prepared for days and it kicked my butt. A few months later and I was running up and down it without a break. Not so much nowadays. Editing makes things look a little more graceful than they really are.
Camelback is nice but usually kind of crowded. Hard to find seclusion. That cave looks nice.
There's definitely no alone time on Camelback. But it's a good workout with great views. Beats the hell out of the treadmill.
Lookout mountain has great views and is less crowded. Nothing beats the Camelback and Squaw Peak views though
@@opheliavalentine6058 huh. I’ll have to check that one out. South Mountain was always my fav.
I’m not a jerk!
I reserve the right to be jealous of those with the willpower and discipline to stay in shape so they can do things like run up and down mountains. It's so much easier than actually working out myself. And I like bacon and beer too much.....
How do you get to the cave. Is it to the left or right ?
Hey Tina, where were you for the scenic hike? Just had to shame Jerry into those extra calories? I prefer the Caramel Macchiato in my daily brew. Just sayin. Thanks and safe hiking.
Tina is not a local hike fan; she would rather just stick with the pancakes. We're heading out to something a little more exotic next weekend though....
You freaking found parking there? I went there and said lot closed. They don't let you park anywhere in those neighborhoods, so I had to park 2 miles away at some resort and take the risk of getting towed. I have no clue where all these people park who hike this mountain.
I completely lucked out. Someone just happened to be leaving when I got there. Definitely did not expect that to work. I'd planned to hike from the other side, then Uber back.