Phoenix responders rescue man from Camelback Mountain
A man was rescued off Camelback Mountain in Phoenix on Dec. 10, 2025, after he was stuck overnight. Watch the rescue video.
An adult male hiker was rescued on the morning of Dec. 10 after spending the night atop the camel’s head of Camelback Mountain in Phoenix.
A helicopter lifted several police and fire rescuers onto the mountain to assist the hiker, who was fitted with a harness and hoist system and brought down to safety by helicopter, according to Phoenix fire officials. He is now in stable condition at a hospital.
Fire Capt. DJ Lee described the rescue as a “high risk” operation that lasted 13 hours and involved between 30 and 40 fire and police personnel.
“I’ve not seen a rescue off the camel’s head before, which is completely new for us,” Lee said Dec. 10 from a command center at the Echo Canyon Trailhead. “We do tons of rescues off of the actual mountain itself. But this was a different location, something a little bit new.”
Lee said it’s unclear which trail the hiker used to get to the top of Camelback Mountain, which is a popular hiking area known for its steep climb. One of the usual trails up the mountain − the Echo Canyon Trail − has been closed due to erosion since October from recent storms but the other main trail up the mountain, known as the Cholla Trail, is open to hikers.
Fire and police personnel set up a command center for the rescue at the Echo Canyon Trailhead overnight. A Phoenix Police Department helicopter first spotted the hiker waving his arms to indicate distress on the top of the mountain at about 8:15 p.m. Dec. 9 while doing patrols, but he was in such a difficult spot that fire officials had to wait until morning to rescue him.
A drone was used overnight to bring the man a cell phone, water, food and a blanket to stay in communication and warm through the nighttime hours, fire officials said. The man either did not have a cell phone with him when he got stuck, or his cell phone had died, and that initial lack of ability to communicate with him made the rescue difficult as well, Lee said.
“We did periodic checks on him to make sure he was okay, to see if he needed anything else,” Lee said. “Once the sun came up we were able to kind of re-establish our game plan to go in and extract him.”
Fire officials did not identify the man nor provide other details about him. Broadcasts of the rescue showed the man wearing a light-colored shirt and dark pants. The Phoenix Police Department and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department are handling an investigation into the incident.
A police helicopter began lifting the rescuers onto the Echo Canyon area, where the man was stuck, at about 8 a.m., according to officials at the scene. About an hour later, the man was off the mountain and brought into the parking lot area, where he could be evaluated for any injuries.
The man appeared to be talking with the rescuers during the rescue broadcast. The Phoenix police rescuers were visibly armed, but Lee described that as precautionary.
Fire officials were unsure how the man got into his position on the camel’s head. Lee said it’s fortunate that the police department helicopter spotted the hiker during their regular patrols.
“He’s super lucky that PD (Phoenix Police) was able to spot him because he could have been up there all night and nobody would have known,” Lee said.
Accidents and mistakes happen, but Lee said the incident is a reminder to be prepared when going on a hike.
“Never hike alone. Have a fully-charged cell phone, that way if something was to happen you can activate 911,” Lee said. “Bring plenty of water and wear the appropriate clothing … Be prepared for the hike and be safe.”
This is a developing story. Return to azcentral.com for updates.