Experience the Superstition Mountains

After entering the Apache Junction area, it is evident that you are at the trailhead to a spectacular adventure.

The historic Apache Trail, Highway 88, is the entrance to the legendary Superstition Mountains. Lost treasures, hidden gold, and visitors like the Spaniard Peralta and Fray Marcos de Niza – the stories involving the mountain never end.

The historic Apache Trail is believed to have originated as the footpath used by the Anasazi Indians to travel from the Tonto Basin area to trade with the Hohokam Indians. As settlers began farming in the lower areas, they used the same canals that had been dug by the Hohokams over 1,000 years earlier. Even with the canal system in place, the volume of water needed to support farming was never assured. The local farmers petitioned Congress for aid to construct a dam to provide consistent water flow for farming purposes.

The construction of a dam was granted, and funding for a hydroelectric facility was approved by President Theodore Roosevelt on June 17, 1902. Using the Apache Trail as the supply route for dam construction, the roadway has changed little since that time. Since the dedication of Roosevelt Dam on March 18, 1911 the Apache Trail, now a route for tourist travel, has become the story for many a tourist traveling the hairpin turns, narrow roadways, steep cliffs and deep gorges.

Along the trail, adventure comes alive – beginning with a lesson rich in history depicted at the Superstition Mountain Historical Museum. The ghost town of Goldfield replicates the mining history of the area with jeep tours, horseback riding at the OK Corral, and more, all originating at the town’s location.

The Superstition Mountains are a hiker’s dream. Trails originating at the Lost Dutchman State Park take hikers to elevations well over 5,000 feet on trails ranging in difficulty from moderate to very difficult. The Sonoran Desert, pine trees, green grass, Indian petroglyphs, and the famous Weaver’s Needle are part of the excitement. It is said that Weaver’s Needle is an important piece of the Lost Dutchman Mine mystery.
Continuing along the Apache Trail, Canyon Lake (the first in a series of lakes downstream from the Roosevelt Dam) features a cantina, the Dolly steamboat, boating, fishing and camping.

Tortilla Flat, a stage stop of years gone by, is a great spot to take a break before continuing on to the town of Roosevelt.

Beyond on Highway 188, at the Tonto National Monument, visitors can hike up to ancient cliff dwellings dating back to 1400 AD.

Continue on to the Besh-Ba-Gowah Archeological Park Ruins and Museum, and to Miami where Highway 188 comes to an end. You can return to Apache Junction via Highway 60 and visit the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona’s oldest botanical garden.

As Highway 60 comes off the mountain, Peralta Trailhead has great hiking and horseback riding trails. Each March, it is the site of the famous Don’s Trek.

Gold Canyon, Superstition Mountain and Apache Junction are home to some of Arizona’s premier golf courses. Barleen’s Dinner Theater and Apache Greyhound Park are great end-of-day activities where you can kick back, have fun and enjoy wonderful musical talent and off-track betting.

Apache Junction is the trailhead to adventure!

.....Back