Perched pretty much square in the middle of the Phoenix metro area is this mountain that sort of looks like a camel. It is the closest climbing to Phoenix, with the rock being a sort of desert conglomeration that has been described as "petrified mud." There are some pretty cool routes here, however, and a fun day of climbing or bouldering can be had here for locals as well as visiting climbers. The biggest issue might be getting a parking spot in the small Echo Canyon lot. A little patience is often rewarded, however.
Getting There
Camelback Mountain is located at approximately 44th Street and McDonald Streets in Phoenix. The Echo Canyon parking lot is accessed off McDonald Street, just east of Tatum (N Echo Canyon Parkway).
I liked the first bolt on pitch two, it protects groundfall potential on a ramp and the 3rd bolt is on great rock for clipping. Right after that it gets steep and cruxy. Well bolted and on great rock, it is one of the best I have been on in camelback. It is next to one of the scariest routes on camelback, The Icebox 5.8x. It actually shares one of the bolts up high. The Icebox is the dihedral, very soft rock, just to this route's left. ...[more]
Yeah i heard about the accident also a while back, i have climbed that route and damn those bees are all over the place, it scares the crap out of me just seeing that hive. I wont do a route that is anywhere near those bees again, its not worth the risk. However, does anyone know an exterminator?
Camelback Mountain
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