Phoenix Fire crews ran three mountain rescues on August 16, 2026. Two were at Echo Canyon on Camelback, and the third was at Piestewa Peak. The Police Department's Firebird hoist helicopter was in the middle of a long repair at the time. Phoenix Fire relies on Firebird for technical mountain rescues.
That day says a lot about the season now starting on Camelback. Summer brought two trail closures, a helicopter out of service, a stopgap rescue truck, and a new bicycle team that is barely a week old. The cooler months bring more hikers, and this year they arrive before the rescue system has fully settled back into place.
The heat rule worked, and rescues rose anyway
From May through July 2026, Phoenix Fire rescued 7 patients on excessive heat warning days. Three of them were on trails that close on those days. In the same months of 2025, 27 patients were rescued on heat days, 13 of them on restricted trails. The year had no shortage of hot days either. Phoenix had logged 31 excessive heat warning days by early August, and 18 of them fell between May 1 and July 31.
Total rescues went the other way. Through July 31, Phoenix Fire responded to 118 mountain rescue incidents citywide, up from 98 over the same stretch in 2025. Patients rescued rose from 105 to 127. Camelback went from 14 incidents to 16. Piestewa Peak jumped from 1 to 5, and South Mountain climbed from 12 to 14.
Taken together, the two sets of figures show where the citywide risk went. Heat-day rescues fell sharply while total rescues climbed, so more of the calls came on days when the trails were open. On Camelback, Echo Canyon and Cholla close from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on National Weather Service Extreme Heat Warning days. KJZZ reported in late July that those closures were still in effect for 2026. As warning days thin out in October, the closure rule matters less. What matters more is how fast help can reach someone on an open trail.
Phoenix Fire's Rob McDade spoke to ABC15 about the rise in rescues despite the department's outreach.
"It's disappointing that the numbers went up, but we don't believe it's a lack of us not trying to get that message out there."
What changed on the mountain this summer
Both trails went through scheduled closures in late summer, one right after the other.
- Cholla Trailhead, 5150 N. Invergordon Road. Closed August 17 through 28 while Phoenix Water Services crews put in a new sewer line along Cholla Lane, north of the trailhead and east of Invergordon. The city's notice says the old line south of Cholla Lane is being taken out of service.
- Cholla Lane roadwork. The city's construction notice lists the overall project as running July 13 through October 5, 2026. It says Cholla Lane narrows to one lane west of Invergordon during the work and that access to homes stays open.
- Echo Canyon Trail, from 4925 E. McDonald Drive. The city's trail page posted a closure of the trail for September 2 through 18 "for new installations."
The Echo Canyon notice never said what was being installed. The likeliest explanation comes from earlier in the year. Deputy Parks Director Jarod Rogers told the Phoenix Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee that electronic signs were already up at Camelback and Piestewa Peak to post current and upcoming closures. He said cameras watching trailheads around the clock were running at Piestewa Peak and at the Holbert Trailhead at South Mountain, and that cameras would "soon" be added at Echo Canyon. He also described electronic gates at some trailheads that handle scheduled closures and free up park rangers for other areas. No published source yet confirms that the September closure was for the cameras. The city's alert has expired, but the page still shows the closure dates and doesn't confirm the reopening.
All of the new equipment serves one purpose. Signs, cameras and gates help the city keep hikers off closed trails and see who is on the mountain. That matters more in a season when the helicopter can't be counted on.
Why the helicopter outage matters on a summit trail
Phoenix Police sent Firebird out of state for an extended maintenance overhaul. McDade called it perhaps the longest maintenance absence the department has had. ABC15 ran its report under the subhead "Rescues could take three times as long." McDade said the hoist has been critical for cutting rescue times, especially for critically injured patients near a summit.
On Camelback, terrain like that is easy to find. The city rates Cholla Trail Extremely Difficult. It covers 1.5 miles with 1,420 feet of elevation change, and it offers almost no shade. The upper third is steep, full of boulders and hard to follow on the way to the 2,704-foot summit. The city suggests that hikers who are worn out turn around at a small rest area in the saddle, just before the boulder section starts.
The Police Department's statement gave the expected return date and described the backup plan.
"The expected return is in October 2026. Rescues will continue and multiple plans are already in place to ensure we can meet any mountain rescue or hoist-capable need during this period."
That plan relies on hoist-equipped aircraft from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Phoenix Police helicopters can still fly medical crews in when the terrain calls for it. As of today, September 30, no published update confirms that Firebird is back. October is a target, and nobody has announced a return yet.
The ground crews filling the gap
Phoenix Fire put two new resources on the ground while the helicopter was out.
The weekend truck at Station 12
Starting in August, a self-contained medical response truck staffed by four technical rescue firefighters worked Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. It was based at Fire Station 12, the station closest to Camelback Mountain. McDade said the department set it up because mountain rescues were up so much over the year before. Its announced run was "through September," which ends today. No published update says whether it will continue into October.
The e-bike teams, a week old
On September 23, Phoenix Fire started e-bike rescue teams out of Fire Stations 28 and 45. Each station carries two e-bikes on a support truck, along with bags of medical supplies and rescue gear. When air-rescue technicians are part of a call, the teams also carry hoist equipment. Two firefighters ride into the preserve, reach the patient first, and run the rescue until more crews arrive. The city's announcement doesn't say which preserves those two stations cover, so it isn't yet clear how often the bikes will show up on Camelback calls.
| Resource | Status as of September 30, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Firebird hoist helicopter | Out for repairs; Phoenix Police expected an October 2026 return, not yet confirmed |
| MCSO and DPS hoist aircraft | Available to assist during the outage |
| Station 12 weekend rescue truck | Announced through September; no extension announced |
| E-bike teams, Stations 28 and 45 | Operating since September 23 |
| Echo Canyon trailhead cameras | Described as coming "soon"; installation not confirmed |
| Electronic closure signs at Camelback | In place, per Phoenix Parks |
| Extreme Heat Warning closures, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Still in effect for Echo Canyon and Cholla |
Before heading up in October
A few local details now matter more than usual.
- Check the city's Camelback trail page and the electronic signs at the trailhead before you go. The signs are there to post current and upcoming closures, and at least one alert on the city page is out of date.
- Expect a narrower Cholla Lane through about October 5. The sewer project schedule runs to that date, with one lane open west of Invergordon.
- Park only where the signs allow at Cholla. Hikers have to parallel park in the designated sections on the west side of Invergordon Road and walk the gravel path along the south side of Cholla Lane to the trailhead. Rideshare drop-off is at the yellow curbs, and the city tows cars parked outside the posted areas.
- Use the saddle turnaround on Cholla. The city says it plainly: only capable, prepared, experienced hikers should try the final third. This season, help may take longer to reach someone in the boulder section.
- Watch for late heat warnings. The 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. closure applies whenever an Extreme Heat Warning is issued, whatever the calendar says.
If you live near the Invergordon or McDonald Drive approaches, you see trailhead parking, construction schedules and closure seasons up close. Those details also come up when a home near the mountain changes hands. Shawn Keeler follows them closely and is glad to talk through how Camelback's trailheads affect daily life on the streets nearby. Let's Connect.
