This was the final hike we did on the 3rd day. Having read that the parking lot fills up quickly (with multiple hikes from the lot), we decided to get here by 7:30 to ensure we were able to secure a spot. If you have done or are comparing against the Echo Canyon camelback hike, note that this is much more difficult. It's steep from the beginning so you get out of breath quickly. Additionally, you are hiking next to the edge of the mountain the whole way and it's rocky so you do need to be careful w/ your steps.
There are a few areas where railings have been installed to help you up/across the rocks as it's bit tricky without.
The top part is the most difficult and scary. you are basically scaling the back side of the mountain with minimal to no support to hold on to. This is also the worst part of the hike as you climb back down. If you are scared of height, you might struggle a bit here but feel free to climb down (this area of the hike) on your butt - that's what my wife did. it took her about 20 min to climb down the few min of the hike but that's okay b/c she still did it.
If you are debating about doing this hike, it's def. worth it. It's an extremely difficult/tiresome hike but it's well worth it. I would not recommend this hike for any kids under 10 as they do need to be careful in certain areas. Between this and echo canyon, echo canyon is def. more family/kid friendly. This is more of a challenging hike. While the views from both hikes are great, we appreciated the views from Piestewa Peak more. From echo canyon you can see phoenix and the surrounding areas. From Piestewa, you see more of the valley and the mountain peaks around. However, echo canyon has more space for you to sit up top and enjoy the view.