MAY 2024

Superstition Mountains

Where:  central Arizona, east of Phoenix

Directions: US 60 off Interstate 10

Good to Know:

* The usual desert precautions about water and rattlesnakes.

Why so good:

Your dog is not allowed to trot among the giant cacti in Saguaro National Park but there is still a chance to experience this beguiling landscape of the Sonoran desert in the American Southwest. One of the best is in the Superstition Mountains. This craggy range of volcanic souvenirs has given rise to many legends, including the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine and the Apache belief that a hole in the Superstition Mountains will lead into the “lower world.”

THE STATE PARK.
A variety of shortish trails lead up the saguaro-studded flank of the Superstition Mountains in the Lost Dutchman State Park. Pick your legend about the “Lost Dutchman” who was really a German - Jacob Waltz. The gold that Waltz flashed around Arizona Territory in the 1800s may have been stolen; when the old man succumbed in his eighties he supposedly revealed the location of his secret mine to a long-time caretaker on his deathbed. People have been looking for the mother lode ever since. It is unlikely your dog will sniff out any golden treasure in the park but these are highly manageable explorations of Sonoran desert canine hikes with the Superstitions serving as your backdrop the entire time.

THE WILDERNESS AREA.
A swath of over 160,000 acres of the Tonto National Forest has been designated the Superstition Mountains Wilderness Area. The most popular point of departure for canine adventure in the wilderness is the Peralta Trailhead. The hikes here thrust your dog into lush desert vegetation thick with giant Saguaro cactus as you work towards Fremont Saddle past hoodoos and cliffs. Your payoff will be Weavers Needle, a volcanic plug of eroded stone with nearly 1,000 feet of prominence. The rock formation has long been the jumping off point for treasure hunters but these days it is rock climbers who hit pay dirt at the landmark.   

THE BACKCOUNTRY ROAD
Arizona 188 from Globe to Apache Junction penetrates the rugged Superstition Mountains with views that will have your dog hanging out the window. There are plenty of stops to get out and explore - one of the best is Boulder Canyon which serves up a rollicking adventure for an experienced trail dog. Check the weather - there can be many river crossings on the out and back route that can go five miles if you want it to. Along the way you’ll collect a knapsack of iconic Arizona desert views, including Battleship Mountain and Canyon Lake.

THE ARBORETUM.
Boyce Thompson was born in Montana, educated in New England, and made his fortune trading mining stocks in New York City but it was the desert landscape of the American Southwest that captured his heart. After Thompson purchased the Magma Mine he moved to Arizona and built his Picket Post House, known locally as the “Castle on the Rock.” For a guy living in the desert, Thompson still owned the world’s second largest yacht. In the 1920s he established the arboretum to study the plants of desert countries and invited the public to share in the research. Arizona’s oldest and most inclusive botanical garden hosts 3,200 desert plants interspersed amidst more than six miles of winding paths, which your dog is welcome to enjoy. Don’t be fooled - the hard-packed Boyce Thompson Arboretum paths skew more desert canine hike than garden stroll with rock formations and sporty inclines around Magma Ridge. The Main Trail travels for 1.5 miles but offers numerous offshoots into curated gardens and desert exhibits, including native Sonoran desert plants. Where water intrudes on the 323-acre garden in the form of a man-made Ayers Lake or trickling Queen Creek the impact is startling. Shade-giving eucalyptus trees share space with imperious 200-year old saguaro cacti, Chinese pistachio trees are neighbors to spiky palo-verdes and Mediterranean olive trees compete for attention with spiny-branched ocotillo. Do not miss this canine hike.