Lost Dutchman State Park
4.7(3.5K)google
4.7(182)yelp
HikingCamping
Overview
Lost Dutchman State Park is a 320-acre (129 ha) state park located in northwestern Pinal County, Arizona on the Apache Trail (State Route 88) north of Apache Junction, near the Superstition Mountains in central Arizona. It is named after the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine, a famously lost gold mine legendary in the tales of the Old West. It is accessible about 40 miles (64 km) east of Phoenix via U.S. Highway 60, the Superstition Freeway.
Practical Info
Mon6:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Tue6:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Wed6:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Thu6:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Fri6:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Sat6:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Sun6:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Suggested Duration3-5 hours
Best TimeNovember to April. It is very strongly recommended to go about an hour before sunset on a clear day. The setting sun's rays strike the barren Superstition cliffs head-on, rendering them an intense, dazzling, blazing golden-red, with incredible visual impact for photos
Getting ThereLocated on the Apache Trail (AZ-88), about a 45-minute drive east of downtown Phoenix. The drive there is very flat and wide; entry requires purchasing a state park pass per vehicle, and inside there are several large, shaded parking lots for self-drive visitors
Travel Tips
- This sits beneath the most rugged western cliffs of the famous Superstition Mountains, renowned for its towering, barren, deep-red basalt cliffs that look as if split open by a god's giant axe
- The park's name carries great pop-culture magic, derived from the legendary unsolved mystery of the "Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine" in Southwest American history; legend says a super-rich gold mine worth hundreds of millions of dollars is still hidden in the dark rock crevices deep in the Superstition Mountains
- If you're a pro climber or long-distance hiker, don't miss the famous "Siphon Draw Trail to Flatiron"—the first part is gentle, but the latter part requires scrambling with hands and feet up vertical boulder scree; the summit gives an intense weightless feeling and it's extremely difficult
Reviews
Positive
- One of the ultimate experiences of grand Southwest scenery! When you park, look up, and see that huge wall-like deep-red cliff looming right in front of you, the primal sense of pressure and visual impact instantly gives you goosebumps. The golden mountain at sunset is beautiful enough to bring you to tears
- A high-caliber state park! Kept spotlessly clean, with trail flow, signage, and accessibility facilities at national-park-level standards. Strolling here listening to birdsong in the cactus scrub brings unparalleled ultimate relaxation and healing—very highly recommended
Heads up
- The latter half of the Flatiron trail has no man-made steps at all—it's all hard scrambling up loose scree cliffs with no guardrails whatsoever, an unprecedented test of your shoe grip and leg stamina. Those with severe fear of heights or wearing ordinary flip-flops should absolutely take another route