subject: Arizona Vacation Planner: Guide to Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale by:Paula Hartgraves [print this page] One of the most populat tourist spots in Arizona is the Camelback Mountain. As its name would suggest, from its sideview profile, this a mountain resembles a kneeling camel.
Now where exactly is Camelback Mountain? Well, if you search for it in the internet, you will find that this serene piece of desert beauty can be found in the City of Phoenix, in the Southwestern State of Arizona. So if you live in Phoenix or you have visited the city before, most likely you have glimpsed the summit of Camelback Mountain from the city, albeit from a distance. The mountain is about ten miles from the city's downtown area.
This natural park has become quite a favorite for locals and tourists alike for its hiking trails, amazing rock formations, and scenic views. It is the perfect place to go if you want some bit of respite from the carbon monoxide-filled air, heavy traffic, and fast paced life in the city. Many local families even come here to have picnics. Camelback Mountain, as has been previously mentioned, is quite a popular for hikers and it has three trails from which hikers can choose from. These trails are the Echo Canyon Summit Trail, the Cholla Trail, and the Ramada Loop Trail. The first two are trails that lead up to the peak of the mountain while the third trail just takes you to some gullies and to a small hill in the area. Of the two trails that lead up to the summit, however, the Echo Canyon Summit Trail is the one that would give you the most beautiful scenic view of the city below.
Camelback Mountain is over 800 miles above sea level and is the home to several beautiful desert flora and fauna. Among the vegetation one can find there are hedgehog cacti, teddy bear chollas, saguaro cacti, compass barrel cacti, and buckhorn chollas. Magnificent desert trees such as yellow palo verde, desert ironwood, and catclaw acacia as well as shrubs, brittlebush, creosote bush, desert hackberry, indian mallow, trixis, white ratany, and goldeneye can be found there too. And as for birds, this natural reserve has beautiful hummingbirds and verdis, cute rock wrens and black-throated sparrows, magnificent hawks and falcons, amazing kestrels and starlings, red-tinged house finches, mourning doves, roadrunners, and impressive looking great horned owls. The area also has squirrels, cottontail rabbits, coyotes, spiny lizards, chuckwallas, and rattlesnakes.
Now if you do decide to visit this wonderful landmark, there are some things you should know. First, this area has many visitors all year round especially on weekends. So it is advisable that you arrive early so you would be able to get some parking space. Second, you will be hiking in a vast open space, which means you will not have much cover from the sun. So you should wear sunglasses, put on some sunblock, and do not forget to bring your own water. Lastly, wear comfortable boots and watch where you walk to avoid slipping on loose rocks, or worse, stepping on a deadly rattlesnake.
