Superstition Mountain and the fabled Lost Dutchman Gold Mine

During the late winter, the Low Sonoran desert is as green as it gets and in full bloom before browning out from the high April temperatures.

The rugged Superstition Mountain is located east of Phoenix, Arizona in 160,000 acres of the Superstition Wilderness and the Tonto National Forest. The giant monolith’s peaks tower 6,000 feet above sea level and dominate the eastern fringe of the Salt River Valley. Mule deer, mountain lions, bobcats and coyotes, along with a variety of birds, reptiles and amphibians live in its fragile desert eco-system. The mountain is deceiving and looks docile from a distance, as many Arizona mountains often do, but it is rugged and can be treacherous and life threatening if one doesn’t understand the dangers of the desert and isn’t prepared for the elements.

Superstition Mountain has several major trailheads. Some are multiple-day hikes. For this trek, I started on the Treasure Loop Trail, which connects to the Prospector’s View Trail and eventually to the arduous Siphon Draw Trail. The trailheads are located on the Superstition’s western side at Lost Dutchman State Park. The Siphon Draw Trail leads to the top of the Flatiron, a level outcropping high on the western flanks of the Superstition Wilderness. The trail begins a steady ascent toward the towering cliffs and bizarre rock formations to the east.

This hike took me past the Massacre Grounds, where, according to legend in the mid-1800s, Apache warriors slaughtered a party of Mexican miners working for the Peralta family of Mexico on the northwestern flanks of the Superstitions. Years later, the lone survivor of the attack revealed the location of the family's richest mine to Jacob Waltz, known as the “Dutchman.” That account provides the foundation for tales of the fabled treasure of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine and the curse of the Dutchman’s forbidden Gold.

Following are a few photos from my trek. All photos were taken handheld, ambient light, aperture priority using a Canon 20D dSLR and 24-105/4L IS lens. The 24-105 is a great walk-around ambient-light lens, but it will flare if shot directly into the sun. A couple photos have a tad of sun flare, but I included them, anyway.