Lost Dutchman State Park

I was reading an article in our local newspaper a few days ago about how the state budget deficit was forcing several of the state parks to close, including the Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction. This park will close in June, 2010. We were looking for a place to do our second adventure for the month, and after doing a little research, it seemed this place would be neat to check out. Only about 30 minutes from the house and a $4 entry fee.





We parked at the Saguaro Day Use area and headed out. The park has several nicely maintained trails. We had only planned to hike the native plants trail which is 1/4 mile long but once we got started we ended up going a different route. Our destination ended up being the "Green Boulder" which was a mile from the car. It was a relatively flat hike except for the last 1/4 mile. All of the kids did good and we plan on going back again before the park closes to hike a few more of the trails.




On this day we hiked the "Treasure Loop" trail, as referenced by the trail sign. From the moment we drove into the park we were looking up at the giant buttes in front of us. It was almost distracting. The very tope of the of the mountain is called flatiron posible because the face of the the butte looks like a the Flatiron building in NYC. It does a a triangular shape to it. There is even a trail that goes all the way to the top but we'll save that for a future trip.








The trail was well marked and very groomed. Much better footing that the previous trail Tom and I hiked. The weather was overcast and breezy the whole time so it made for very comfortable conditions. We stopped a few times along the way and looked for creosode bushes, the kind of bushes that "smell like the desert when it rains" according to Tom. Tom even brought some back for Max to smell.





Whoever created this trail had the foresight to put benches in along the way so we stopped at each one to take a water break and look back to survey our progress so far. On our last hike, Tom only had a worn out pair of high tops which didn't afford him much traction. The lack of traction led to a few spills during the last hike. Before this trip we made sure to get him some good boots. Problem solved - Tom led the group a good part of the way explaining to his sisters that he's done this kind of thing before.







In the distance, at the foot of the granite, our target is becoming visible - The Green Boulder. Just to the left of the trail in this picture, the Green Boulder is a massive rock about 60 feet tall and as big around as a house. The closer we got to the destination, the more detail emerged on the face of the butte. Cracks and crevices as well as natural caves which caught the eye of all the kids, mainly because we had briefed them on the Lost Dutchman's Legend. They had gold on their minds.








From the parking lot, the green boulder is nearly invisible it blends in so well with its surrounds but as this picture shows, the closer you get, the more it makes itself known. It almost looks like there is a cross carved into the green lichen on the face of the rock.





The first 3/4 of the trip the trail was flat and pretty smooth but as this picture illustrates the clime starts towards the end.











Almost there...



















Looking back gives a perspective of how far we hiked and the elevation gain. The green boulder sits at 2580'.














This is as far as we went. Green boulder in the background.
















Tom and dad...



















Mom and the girls



















Brina wanted one by herself.















Not sure where we're going next but it'll be fun..

Hieroglyphics Trail

Shanna and I decided Tommy was getting old enough to start taking him out on some outdoor adventures, and what better day to start than the day his sisters were having a tea party birthday celebration at Kim & Scott's house. Scott, Granddady, and I rescued Tom from what was sure to be an overload of girl stuff. It was easy to get him excited about the hike when the only alternative as hanging out at a tea party. After researching various hikes around town I settled on the Hieroglyphics Trail hike east of town in the Superstition Wilderness. The trail was short, only a mile in length, but was challenging in both elevation change and trail condition.


We hit the trailhead about 12:30pm after parking in the lot along with about 50 other cars. It turned out to be the most active trail I've ever hiked. There were literally hundreds of other hikers out enjoying the nice day. It was sunny with little cloud cover, but a nice cool temperature of around 65 degrees.







We hiked up the trail passing through stands of saguaro, ocotillo, and cholla cacti. Tommy's favorite plant was the creosode bush because of the smell of the leaves when you rub them between your fingers.









As we climbed up from the desert floor, we started our ascent into the canyon where the
hieroglyphics were rumored to be.











The trail narrowed and the vegatation became denser the further we went into the canyon.












Tommy was determined to make it to the indian drawings because those were more fun than any tea party.











After about 90 minutes, we arrived at our destination. We were treated to a large collection of Hohokam hieroglyphics.











There was water in several of the pools but it was pretty bad looking so no one was swimming or drinking it.











Tommy really liked seeing the indian drawings. These are the specific drawings he wanted to be photographed with.































After hanging out, looking at all the drawings, it was time to head back. But first a picture with dad and granddaddy...












Tommy stopped along the way to pose next to a few saguaros and we took lots of pictures of scenery as well.
















Even though if seemed like we hiked to the middle of nowhere, civilization was always within view.











One last picture with some nice mountains in the background. Tommy did a great job leading the way up and back. His favorite parts about the trip were the "indian drawings" and all the dogs he met along the way. Check back in a few weeks for our next adventure when the whole family will be going to explore Montezuma's Castle.