Camelback Mountain, rising 2,704 feet between Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood and Paradise Valley, is the highest point in the metropolitan area and a defining regional landmark. Named for its camel-like profile, it has a long human history: a cave on its north side was a sacred Hohokam site before their abandonment of the area in the 14th century. After an 1879 reservation decision for the Salt River Pima and Maricopa tribes was quickly reversed, later preservation efforts struggled against private development until higher elevations were protected and the mountain became a Phoenix city park in 1968. Its granite and red sandstone geology, including the Praying Monk, and its steep summit trails make it a major hiking destination.