Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

Camelback vs. Piestewa

Peter E.

December 20, 2009 - 10:31 PM

It's been a tough weekend in the Valley of the Sun. We had unusual highs of 75 degrees and sunny, so needless to say I was indoors all weekend sitting in my dark, damp room. In all seriousness though, the weather was absolutely incredible and I spent a good deal of time outside. This weekend I hiked both Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak (Valley landmarks), and I will break down for you, should you ever visit Phoenix, which to climb.

First off, Piestewa Peak, formerly known as Squaw Peak, sits in Northeast Phoenix. The Peak is named for Lori Piestewa from the Hopi reservation in Northern Arizona. A woman of mixed Mexican-Hopi descent, she was in Jessica Lynch's platoon when their Humvee was blown up in Iraq in 2003. Our PC- and PR-minded governor, Janet Napolitano now the Secretary of Homeland Security, rushed to right years of injustice of a "Squaw" peak (a derogatory Native American word for "broad" or "whore") looming over Phoenix, and the name "Piestewa" was hastily approved in honor of Native Americans, the armed forces, and feminist justice. The nature preserve, of which Piestewa Peak is a part, features untouched desert with numerous trails of all ability levels and distances. The Summit Trail takes you to the top of Piestewa Peak and is about 1.2 miles from parking lot to summit (2.4 miles in total). I would recommend doing the hike mid-week because it is an extremely popular trail and both parking lot and trail are over-crowded most of the time. That said, the summit offers panoramic views of the Valley, and its proximity to Phoenix make it more appealing than other hikes like Camelback.

That said, Camelback is probably my favorite hike in the Valley. However, there are two trails that take you to the summit of Camelback Mountain, so you have to make sure to find the Cholla Trail (the trail head is on the east side of the Mountain). The Mountain (as you can see in the picture) gets its name because it looks rather like a camel's hump. It sits on the edge of Phoenix in Paradise Valley, and there are some fairly impressive multi-million dollar homes nestled against the mountain that you pass on your way to the trail head. The trail is a strenuous 1.5 mile hike that gains a significant amount of elevation in a very short amount of time (approximately 1200 feet). Towards the top of the hike, one must scramble up rock faces (sometimes with gila monsters already occupying the sunny spots) to reach the summit. As the presence of gila monsters suggest, the trail is not as popular as the Piestewa Peak trail, and that makes it one of my favorites. Camelback also offers panoramic views of the Valley, but better views of Scottsdale and Tempe than Phoenix. Of the two hikes, Camelback's Cholla Trail is more fun, difficult, and enjoyable than the Summit Trail hands down.

While I do enjoy desert hiking and the different scenery and wildlife the Valley of the Sun offers, I must say I prefer the Willamette Valley with lush greenery, rivers, and bounty of lesser-traveled trails.