Lost Dutchman State Park
March 21, 2020
Yesterday I went on a couple of adventures.
First, I drive the Apache Trail. The historic trail gets its name from the Apache Indians who originally used the trail to navigate through the Superstition Mountains. It then became a stagecoach route in the early 1900s and now winds its way through both the Superstition Mountains and Tonto National Forest.
The trail, also known more officially as Arizona State Route 88, is a 40-mile drive starting in Apache Junction and ending at Theodore Roosevelt Dam. The road is very winding, with switchbacks and sharp turns, so amateur drivers should take caution.
The Road is only paved to Tortilla Flat. That is also where the road was closed today due to water on the road, as you will see in the slideshow. But the drive to that point was everything it was advertised to be - lots of curves, lots of beautiful landscapes.
Second, after returning to my campsite at Lost Dutchman State Park, I put on my hiking boots and took on the Superstition Mountains. The rain yesterday brought out a sea of yellow flowers which made the hike very special. My hike was about 4.5 miles on a mostly rocky trail. Out here they probably consider it an easy hike. I’d say it was easy/moderate due to the rocky trail and the elevation gain. For reference, I did a combination of the Treasure Trail, Siphon Loop and Jacob’s Crosscut. Lots of photos in the slideshow - I tried to be artistic with the flowers and the mountains. Some of the views from the top of hike were amazing. I was disappointed that it began to cloud over; I was told there were some great views of a waterfall. I didn’t take that leg due to the poor light.
Hope you enjoy the five-minute slideshow with music by Steve Bassett.
Glad you got to see the flowers in bloom in the desert.