Camelback Mountain Will Humble You

Camelback does not look like a camel. Someone named it after squinting from the right angle after three whiskeys, and the name stuck.

The Echo Canyon Trail: 1.2 miles, 1,280 feet of elevation, boulders, iron railings bolted into rock, slots where your shoulders brush both walls. This is not a hike. This is a negotiation with gravity, and gravity has the better lawyer. The trailhead is off McDonald Drive in a residential neighborhood — you park near someone's mailbox, and twenty minutes later you're clinging to a rock face.

But the summit at 2,704 feet puts all of Phoenix below you. McDowell Mountains to the north in purple haze. South Mountain to the south. Paradise Valley's pools glittering like scattered jewelry. The sunrise is not subtle — desert doesn't do subtle — sky going charcoal to pink to blazing orange in twelve minutes.

Bring a liter of water minimum, even in winter. Shoes with aggressive grip. Echo Canyon lot fills by six AM on weekends. November through March. And do not be the person requiring a helicopter rescue at dusk — Phoenix Fire responds to Camelback calls so frequently they probably have a dedicated team.