Thanks to Tessa’s suggestion. We went to hike and summit the Camelback Mountain Trail (Echo Canyon). It was a 1.2 miles one way + 1,264 feet elevation gain hike. That was a 2,528 feet elevation change in 2.4 miles, a pretty rough hike if you are not used to it. By the time we got to the top, we were all exhausted.
The parking situation in the weekend is crazy. We got there around 9AM and there was already a line of cars waiting at Echo Canyon Parkway for parking lot spots to free up. So we ended up driving to another street and hiked back to the trail head.
I love this trail because it is mostly a full body workout due to its steep rocky trail. I scrambled up lots of large rock steps and came down the same way – 65% of the time I was on all fours. We also found out that there are climbing routes here with strong bolts, so we might be back here to climb sometime.
The sandstone rock formations along the trail was awesome, really reminded me of Moab. Thanks to the rain we have gotten, there were lots of wild flowers and plants along the trail, almost make you forget that you are in the desert.
Definitely a blast, and we love the hike during weekends with friends. Phoenix area has so much to offer and lots of places to hike, we just can’t get enough of it…
