Why you should experience Cholla Trail in Phoenix, Arizona.
Cholla Trail is Camelback Mountain's quieter, more contemplative ascent, a trail that trades Echo Canyon's boulder scrambles for steady rhythm and sweeping desert views.
Winding up the mountain's eastern ridge, it begins gently beneath palo verde trees before tightening into a rugged, rocky climb that tests endurance more than agility. Along the way, the trail offers moments of stillness, views of Paradise Valley, the McDowell Mountains, and the endless sea of desert below glowing in soft amber light. Near the summit, the incline sharpens, requiring focus and balance, but each pause rewards you with a view more cinematic than the last. Where Echo Canyon feels like a challenge, Cholla feels like a journey, one that lets the desert unfold around you, step by step, until the world below disappears into silence.
What you should know about Cholla Trail.
Once a local secret, Cholla Trail has become one of Phoenix's most beloved routes for its unique perspective on Camelback Mountain.
Named for the cholla cactus that dots its path, this trail was carved along private land before being absorbed into the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. It offers hikers a different geological story, the eastern slope's sandstone layers are slightly younger and more fragile than those of Echo Canyon, shaped by millennia of wind erosion. The summit joins the same peak, but the approach feels distinctly different: quieter, more panoramic, and less abrupt. The trail was temporarily closed for safety improvements and now features stabilized footing and clearer signage, though it retains its raw desert character. Fewer crowds mean more encounters with the native wildlife, quail darting across the rocks, lizards sunning themselves, and red-tailed hawks circling above. It's a side of Camelback that rewards patience and observation as much as stamina.
How to fold Cholla Trail into your trip.
Begin your Cholla Trail climb early in the morning to catch the desert in its gentlest mood.
The trailhead entrance lies off Invergordon Road, with limited parking along the residential street, so plan accordingly. Bring extra water and a camera, because the ridge views of Downtown Phoenix and Camelback's Praying Monk formation are unforgettable in morning light. Pair your hike with a late breakfast at Echo Coffee or The Henry, both local favorites nearby, or cool off afterward in the shaded gardens of the Desert Botanical Garden just 10 minutes away. Folding Cholla Trail into your trip gives you more than a workout, it gives you a new vantage point of Phoenix itself: wild, resilient, and impossibly beautiful beneath an endless sky.
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