The most popular path in the Superstitions is the Peralta Trail, which starts at the end of Peralta Road and climbs up Peralta Canyon to a narrow ridge (Fremont Saddle, after 2.25 miles), descending at the far side into the upper end of East Boulder Canyon and on to a junction with trail 104.įrom Canyon Lake Marina, this trail climbs above La Barge Creek for 2 miles and descends into the Boulder Creek drainage, which is followed southwards to the point it splits into east and west forks, below Palomino Mountain, where the path joins trail 104. The short Prospector's View Trail links #53 with #56, through a rocky area in the mountain foothills.Ī long but mostly near level route, the Jacob's Crosscut Trail runs beneath the west face of the Superstition Mountains, over cactus slopes and across several dry washes, always with wide-ranging views over Apache Junction.īeginning at the end of a residential street north of Gold Canyon, this short path leads up Hieroglyphic Canyon to a group of petroglyphs beside some seasonal pools. This easy path encounters forests of saguaro cacti, grasslands and rocky outcrops as it loops around the hillside above Lost Dutchman State Park. One of four trails in or near the Lost Dutchman State Park, the Siphon Draw Trail climbs a ravine for good views over the western edge of the Superstition Mountains, and the Apache Junction suburbs. Trail Summaries - Superstition Mountains and the west Superstition Wilderness Most of the mountains are within the Tonto National Forest, and a large part is further protected as the Superstition Wilderness, the closest large pristine area to Phoenix and so a very popular hiking destination, though there are relatively few easy trails - most routes are quite long and strenuous, especially during the hot weather that prevails most of the year. Early settlers named the hills on account of the many myths and stories told by the local Pima/Apache Indians about the mountains, and tales such as the fabled Lost Dutchman gold mine. Trees are found only at scattered locations, at springs or beside streamways. They rise steeply above the flat desert to a high point of 5,024 feet, and are characterized by sheer-sided, jagged, volcanic peaks and ridges separated by boulder-filled canyons, all covered by saguaro at low elevations, with other cacti and bushes higher up. The Superstitions are the largest of the mountain ranges surrounding Phoenix, visible from many miles away along the straight roads through the suburbs east of Mesa.