Lost Dutchman State Park, Goldfield, and Apace Trail

One of the most wonderful things about this whole travel nursing gig, is that on any given day we can just go explore. Sometimes we have a rough sketch of what we would like to do and other days we just drive in a direction to see what we find. Generally, we haven't had too many plans and absolutely no time constraints which has made it all that more enjoyable. 

Wednesday proved to be another one of those days. I had been reading that the wildflowers are really starting to pop and hoped to catch some. When deciding where to go several things were thrown out on the table: Torilla Flat, Apache Trail, Lost Dutchman, Superstition Mountains, and Globe to recant a few. Coincidentally, we hit all of these in some capacity. 

Our first stop, Lost Dutchman. We were met at the state park gate by a friendly man with map in hand. He directed us to the Treasure Loop trail at 2.4 miles round trip. We decided that was the way to go and headed toward the Cholla Parking Lot. We have learned the important lesson to bring as much water as you can carry! 

The trail was crushed rock and was wide enough we could all walk together. There were a lot of people hiking too! We saw a lot of wildflowers starting to come out in shades of yellows, oranges, purples, and pinks. I'm not quite as familiar with these wildflowers, however I did recognize Mexican poppy and lupine. I learned a few more on the news this morning; brittlebush.

The trail was great and we decided to do an extra 1.5 because the weather was warm with a nice cool breeze. We headed down Prospectors Trail and headed back to the parking lot on the Crosscut Trail. Kobi was completely immersed in his new surroundings, paying close attention to anything that moved. Right paw up, tail erect, frozen! Just as we took note of his behavior a group of quails quickly scampered across the trail into a nearby shrub. What neat looking birds with the little curly on their heads!

After our descent from the trail, we doubled back a short distance to the Goldfield ghost town. Everything is just as they left it. We were greeted by the horn of train and an older couple singing. We walked about to see the bank, church, jail, saloon, and mine entrance. Even though we didn't stay long, it was well worth the stop. 

Right outside of Lost Dutchman State Park, the Apache Trail begins. Most of this scenic drive is paved however there are segments that are not. The road winds up and down through the Superstition Mountains, past three large lakes that were dammed up; Canyon Lake, Apache Lake, and Roosevelt Lake. These lakes are on the other side of Saguaro Lake that we recently visited. All lakes are welcome to recreation of all sorts and look like a hot spot when the temperature in the area soar above 100F. I'm glad we will not be around to experience these high temperatures.

Each lake was beautiful and expansive in it's own way. There were many places to stop and take a short hike, read some educational signage, and take a break at a restroom if needed. The wildflowers were starting to pop on this route too!

I really enjoying this route and if the temperature do get toasty while we are here, we will know where we can take a quick dip.