Cholla Trailhead Camelback Mountain, Paradise Valley AZ

Review of trail, then trailhead: TRAIL: awesome! It's short distance but steep and so have good hiking shoes! (saw people with slick tennis shoes/sandals and they were struggling). The steepness and rocky terrain gives a great sense of adventure like a hike and mild rock climbing experience all in one. NOTE: we went in 75 deg weather and would NOT want to go much warmer than that. TRAILHEAD: its basically just parking along a very large/long street so the plus is you'll find a space but the minus is it might be several blocks from the true trailhead but it was fine. Total hike time for us (in shape, intermediate hikers) was almost exactly 2 hours. Well worth it!

Fun and challenging hiking trail. Starts out easy enough with wide gravel path with nice stairs and then soon starts climbing and never stops. There is a bit of a pause at the saddle (where there is a helipad!) and then things get real. Blue paint dots and reflectors mark the trail, but it is all scrambling from this point to the summit. Since it is an out-and-back, coming back down presents its own set of challenges. Take your time, enjoy the views.

3 miles round trip. Pack water on hot days, we didn’t need any because it was in the 50s. We saw two types of lizards and lots of adorable chipmunks at the top. I didn’t read up on the hike and was visiting from out of town, so only had walking shoes with slick soles. Would definitely have been easier with hiking shoes. Going up takes much longer because it is quite steep. Not for the faint of heart, but also not at all unreasonable for any relatively fit or active person. There were elementary aged kids we saw who were keeping up with the adults. We very much enjoyed this hike.

Great hike.we have done this hike many times and we love it every time. Bring water and a hat!
Well maintained and a great experience.and Santa was at the top for pictures and candy canes!

This hike had everything I was looking for. I parked along the street 30 minutes before sunrise, got on the mountain quickly and had pretty sunrise views all the way up. The first 20 minutes felt like being on a stair climber - only with MUCH better scenery - and then the path became more rocky. I definitely recommend going for sunrise!

Less crowded than Echo Canyon trail, but just as difficult. The first half looks deceptively easier because the incline is not as pronounced but that was probably where I felt the most winded. It took me about 1 hour and 50 minutes to go up and down with a 10 minute stop on top. I don't regularly go hiking but do run on a regular basis distances between 3-6 miles.

The parking was sketchy (on street) for the cholla side but they are working on it. Great hike and views

Closer to the top you should get be prepared to bolder and stay closer to the rocks.very fun and beautiful hike!

A fun hike with some scrambling. It's best done with an approach shoe because the rocks can be slippery.

Pretty challenging hike. If you think this is the easier side of camelback that’s not necessarily true.
There are brand new facilities at the beginning of the trail, water, sink, bathrooms.
The trail has some nice stairs built in at the beginning. At about the halfway point things get more difficult with some rock climbing and narrow pathways with steep drops on either side.
The parking is along the street but it goes down for a while if your willing to walk.

First half is a "to be expected" moutain hike. The second half is a steep scramble that requires considerable physical effort and the right hiking boots/shoes.

This hike is no joke. 1.5 miles to summit with 1350 feet of elevation gain. A good workout and lots of scrambling once you get to elevation. Gloves are a good idea for the upper portion as you’ll get a bit handsy with the granite which can have sharp edges. The views are incredible; 360 degrees of the whole valley. Lots of cactus along the trail: saguaros, ferocactus, and mammillaria. Parking is on the street. Bathrooms and water at the start of the hike.

Easier side of the hike. Parking looked tough but we ubered so we could walk the whole trail. Uber was about $10. Cooler on the way down than up. Narrow peaks but just take it slow. Took us like 45mins to get down.