Laninga's Travel Blog

Not far from us is the Superstition Mountain range, location of the fabled Lost Dutchman mine.  This mine was originally Apache territory, and was supposed to be what Cordoba (Spanish monk) was looking for when he explored this area in the early 1800’s.

Over the years, some people have found some of the gold but the main lode is as yet undiscovered.  And many people have died, trying.  And not just centuries ago, either.  People have been lost, and bodies found under unusual circumstances, as late as the 1960’s.  So there is a lot of history to this area, and some fascinating stories.

But we were more interested in the many hiking trails.  This is rugged territory, and you have to be prepared, and we are.  So we set out on an exploratory hike up to the base of the mountains.  The weather was cloudy and a bit cool (for this area).  Our starting point was Lost Dutchman State Park. It was a relatively easy 3 mile hike, and we are looking forward to more to come.

Superstition Mountains, viewed from the Apache Junction side

"Praying hands" formation

Looking back towards Apache Junction