How Camelback Mountain Got Its Name and How Phoenix Saved It

Camelback Mountain got its name from its shape: from the Valley floor it looks like the head and hump of a camel kneeling in the desert. It stayed wild above the houses because Phoenix residents, led by Barry Goldwater, fought in the 1960s to save the upper slopes, and it became a Phoenix city park in 1968.

I have sold homes all over the Valley for more than 20 years, and there is one landmark people point to more than any other when they visit: Camelback. Fewer know the story of how close the whole mountain came to being covered in houses, top to bottom. Here is how it got its name and how it was saved.

A Camel Kneeling in the Desert

The name is simple. Look at Camelback from the south and you see a long body with a rounded hump on the east end and a lower head on the west end, like a camel resting on its knees. Phoenix Parks says the name comes from that silhouette against the Valley skyline.

The mountain sits between the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix and the Town of Paradise Valley, and it is part of the Phoenix Mountains. The city lists its summit at 2,704 feet, and it is widely called the highest point in the Phoenix area. The road named after it, Camelback Road, runs roughly 34 miles across the Valley.

Two Kinds of Rock, Millions of Years Apart

Part of what makes Camelback look the way it does is that it is really two mountains stacked together. The hump is Precambrian granite, roughly 1.5 billion years old. The head is mostly red sandstone that is far younger, around 25 million years old. Geologists call the line where two very different rock layers meet an unconformity, and Camelback is a good example of one.

That red sandstone also gives us the Praying Monk, a formation on the north slope that looks like a person kneeling in prayer. It rises about 100 feet and is a well known spot for rock climbers, with permanent anchor bolts on its eastern face.

A Sacred Place Long Before Phoenix

People valued this mountain long before anyone drew a city map. A cave on the north side of Camelback shows signs that the Hohokam, the ancient people who built canals across the Salt River Valley, used it as a sacred site before they left the area in the 1300s.

There is a later chapter most people have never heard. In January 1879, President Rutherford B. Hayes included Camelback Mountain in a large reservation set aside for the Salt River Pima and Maricopa tribes. About six months later the decision was reversed after pressure from territorial leaders who wanted to protect non-Indian settlers' access to Salt River water.

The Fight to Save the Upper Slopes

Talk of protecting Camelback as a preserve started as early as the 1910s, but by the 1960s nearly all of the mountain had been sold to private owners. Homes were climbing the slopes. State and federal officials tried to stop building above the 1,600 foot level, but that line did not hold, and a proposed land exchange failed in the Arizona Legislature in 1963.

In 1965, U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater took up the cause. He led the Preservation of Camelback Mountain Foundation, which worked to secure the higher elevations against development. The effort paid off. In 1968 a ceremony marked a land exchange, with President Lyndon Johnson and Interior Secretary Stewart Udall on hand, and that same year the upper mountain became a Phoenix city park.

Camelback Today: Echo Canyon and Cholla

The City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department runs the mountain's trails and facilities as the Echo Canyon Recreation Area. There are two ways to the top:

• Echo Canyon Trail: about 1.14 miles one way with roughly 1,400 feet of climbing. The city rates it extremely difficult, very steep and rocky, with handrails in spots. The trailhead is at 4925 E. McDonald Drive.
• Cholla Trail: the longer route up the east end, starting off Invergordon Road.
• Bobby's Rock Trail: a short, easy walk near the Echo Canyon trailhead to a big cube of sandstone, good for kids and visitors who just want the view.

A few things I always tell newcomers. Trails are open sunrise to sunset. Dogs are not allowed on any Camelback trail at any time of year. The Echo Canyon lot fills up fast on winter and spring weekends, and the city tickets and tows cars parked illegally on nearby streets. On Extreme Heat Warning days, Phoenix closes Echo Canyon and Cholla from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. And the city is blunt that even fit, prepared hikers sometimes need a rescue here, so bring plenty of water and start early. If you want an easier first hike, my fall hiking guide for Phoenix has some gentler places to start.

Living Near the Camel

The neighborhoods around the mountain are some of the most requested in the Valley. On the south side is Arcadia, with its old citrus lots and wide streets. On the north side is Paradise Valley, a town of large lots. Both look up at the same ridge Goldwater fought to protect. If you are new to the area, my guide to moving to Phoenix is a good place to get your bearings.

Questions People Ask

Why is it called Camelback Mountain?
It is named for its shape, which looks like the head and hump of a kneeling camel when you see it from the Valley floor.

How tall is Camelback Mountain?
The City of Phoenix lists the summit at 2,704 feet above sea level, which makes it the tallest peak in the Phoenix area by most accounts.

Who saved Camelback Mountain from development?
Barry Goldwater led the Preservation of Camelback Mountain Foundation starting in 1965, and the upper mountain became a Phoenix city park in 1968.

Terry Day, REALTOR®, DeLex Realty, 10115 E Bell Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260.