Camelback Mountain/Echo Canyon Recreation Area

There are few breathtaking views in town to be This popular recreation area freautres multiple mountain-park entereances and trails for hikers and climbers of all types to enjoy. There are few breathtaking views in town to be had as easily as the one from Echo Canyon. Bobby’s Rock Trail, aperfect little spot alongside Camelback Mountain does the trick for free. If you can walk a quarter-mile, you’re at the summit. Many climbers write off Camelback as nothing more than a pile of “choss,” a.k.a. crumbly crap-rock. But there are major upsides to this locale: the super-convenient, central Valley location, the abundance of routes, the 300-foot-plus height of some of the climbs, and the area’s sheer beauty. From the spooky, hang-it-all-out moves on the three-pitch Ridge Route to the classic southeast face of the Praying Monk formation, the cliff climbs in the Camel’s Head area offer easy-to-get-to thrills for vertical-minded visitors.