Camelback Mountain — Cholla Trail

The Cholla Trail is the northeast approach to Camelback Mountain's 2,707-foot summit in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area of Arizona, ascending approximately 400 meters in 1.25 miles one way from the Cholla Trailhead in Scottsdale. The trailhead has a small parking area at 5700 North Cholla Drive; like the Echo Canyon lot, it fills early on weekends and rideshare is a practical alternative. No permits are required for this city-managed trail.

The trail's lower section climbs steadily through classic Sonoran Desert terrain dense with saguaro cactus, brittlebush, and the namesake jumping cholla (Opuntia bigelovii) — the cactus with barbed spines on detachable stem segments that adhere to clothing or skin on contact. Signs along the lower trail warn hikers to maintain distance; a multi-tool or pair of sticks is helpful for removing spine clusters without using bare hands. The surface here is compact desert soil and gravel. The middle section ascends more steeply on loose rock and gravel before hitting exposed sandstone on the upper ridge.

The upper third of the Cholla Trail is a demanding scramble nearly equivalent to the Echo Canyon upper section, though slightly less sustained. Metal handrails assist on the most exposed sections before the trail merges with the upper Echo Canyon route for the final push to the summit. Summit views encompass the entire Phoenix metro area, the McDowell Mountains to the northeast, and the South Mountains to the south. Descending via the Cholla route or continuing down the Echo Canyon side creates a full traverse, though this requires a car shuttle between the two trailheads.

The Cholla Trail typically draws fewer hikers than Echo Canyon, especially on weekday mornings, making it a marginally quieter alternative without meaningfully reducing the trail's physical demands.