Technical rescue crews with the Phoenix Fire Department were called to the Echo Canyon Trailhead on Camelback Mountain on Thursday after reports of an injured hiker, prompting a full emergency response and preparations for a potential mountain extraction. The department said its public information officer was on scene and would be sharing more details soon while crews assessed the hiker's condition and the safest way to get them off the mountain.
Technical rescue teams are currently at the Echo Canyon Trailhead for the reports of an injured hiker. The PIO is on the scene and will have an update shortly. https://x.com/phxfire/status/2019485828423327929
— Phoenix Fire Dept. (@phxfire) February 5, 2026
Rescue crews at Echo Canyon Trailhead
In a post from the Phoenix Fire Department, officials confirmed that technical rescue teams were responding to reports of an injured hiker and noted that the department's public information officer was already on scene. Echo Canyon Trailhead sits at 4925 E. McDonald Drive on Camelback Mountain, according to the City of Phoenix.
Echo Canyon's terrain and crowds complicate rescues
The Echo Canyon route is a steep and technical climb that calls for hand-over-hand scrambling and puts hikers along narrow, rocky sections. Those same features can make it tough for crews to reach an injured person and carry them out. The trail is one of the Valley’s busiest hikes and its small parking lot fills up quickly, which can add another layer of difficulty for emergency responders, according to Visit Phoenix.
Recent reopening and past rescues
The City of Phoenix reopened Echo Canyon in mid-December after stabilization work to secure loose boulders, city officials said in a newsroom release. Rescues on Camelback frequently require technical carries or air support, and previous incidents have involved hoists and multi-hour extractions, as reported by People.
Hoodline will update this story when the Phoenix Fire Department's public information officer releases more information. For now, the department says technical rescue teams remain on scene and an official update is expected shortly, according to the department's post.
