Lost Dutchman State Park

Named after the fabled lost gold mine, this park puts you right at the foot of the Superstition Mountains, about 40 miles east of Phoenix on the Apache Trail (State Route 88). The Bureau of Land Management developed it in 1972 as a day-use area, and the state took on most of the land in 1977, dedicating it as a park on December 5 that year. Trails continue from here into the Superstition Wilderness and Tonto National Forest.

Hikers choose by difficulty. Native Plant Trail is an accessible, labeled walk beside the ranger station, with a saguaro the park has measured for decades. Treasure Loop is 2.4 miles with 500 feet of climbing, and Prospector's View (0.7 miles) links it with Siphon Draw and Jacob's Crosscut. Siphon Draw is a 4-mile round trip into a canyon that the park doesn't recommend in hot weather. Going on to the Flatiron makes it 5.8 miles and takes at least five hours. That final stretch isn't a designated, maintained trail, is steep and hard to follow, and is for experienced hikers in good condition only.

Cyclists have a 4-mile beginner-to-intermediate singletrack loop; bikes aren't allowed past the wilderness boundary on Siphon Draw. Mule deer, coyote, javelina, bobcat and jackrabbit live here, and the winter migrants make the park a good birding stop. Spring wildflowers depend on rainfall.

The campground has about 135 sites, 68 of them with electric and water hookups, as well as five air-conditioned camping cabins. Book through Arizona State Parks. Stays are limited to 14 nights in 30 days.

Day-use hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and gates lock overnight. The fee is $10 for a vehicle with one person, $20 for two to four people, and $5 for an individual or bicycle. The park accepts only cash, Visa or MasterCard with a readable magnetic stripe, not chip, tap or phone payments, so bring exact cash for the self-pay station after hours. Walk-in entry and hiker drop-off or pick-up are not permitted for safety reasons.

Each hiker should carry at least a gallon of water a day, stay out of old mine shafts, and start early. Summer temperatures often exceed 100°F. Ranger hikes, star parties and music run mostly from autumn to spring.