This review is based on my experience attempting to climb up Camelback's Echo Canyon trail. The Echo Canyon trail is not for beginners. It's very very steep and in some phases (especially when the polls exist) you're literally rock climbing instead of hiking.
The trail starts off fairly easy. There are a lot of steps which are manageable but after that you could easily be on all fours.
I definitely recommend wearing pants and clothes you are willing to get dirty. If you fall on this trail and are wearing shorts, you're going to get some nice cuts and bruises. I also recommend bring at least one bottled water (a camelback or backpack is preferred but make sure you can get hydrated.)
We tried to go up the mountain as part of a tour (which will be reviewed separately). Unfortunately, it started to rain pretty hard during our ascent and the rocks and polls were just too slippery for us to ascend and decend safely. (Even the experts were on all fours trying to get down the mountain).
The views throughout the trail are spectacular. By any means you do not have to reach the summit to get spectacular views of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Paradise Valley. There are a number of places towards the beginning are perfect for taking pictures.
All in all, if you're a hiking expert, you'll probably love the challenge of Echo Canyon. If you're not, you can at least do a portion of the trail and still get the beautiful view. In the future I'd like to try out the Cholla trail on a nice dry day.