Lost Dutchman State Park

Come here to hike in the Superstition mountains. Beautiful trails and quite a bit of parking. It does get pretty crowded on weekends and holidays, so plan to get there early.
Based on the other reviews, I really need to head up to Flatiron, but my kids have been pretty young when we’ve been here in the past and we have just done the Treasure Loop trail. It is a nice trail with a respectable elevation gain and a nice view from the top of the loop. It is a popular trail, so don’t expect to be on the trail alone.
The park has a great website and you can download the map ahead of time to plan your route prior to getting there and standing in the parking lot with a paper map :)
Point your browser at —
This place is pretty awesome in the spring when all of the wildflowers bloom. Even if you’ve got bad allergies, it is worth loading up on medication to head out and have a look.
From a logistics perspective, the park office is not staffed regularly during hot summer months, but a park ranger is usually available in the park. If you require assistance, look for a state park vehicle.

This was one of the best campgrounds I have stayed at. The campsites were large, private, and quiet. This is the perfect time to camp in Arizona but it never felt crowded. I brought my three dogs so they could practice camping in a tent. Two are puppies. The whole night was spectacular. Clean site, great grill/​fire pit area, picnic table, super clean bathrooms. I hope it doesn’t heat up too quickly here in the desert, because I can’t wait to go again. I wouldn’t suggest summertime though, there is little to no shade.

One of my favorite parks and places to hike in the Valley! It goes without saying that the Siphon Draw Trail (Flatiron) is the most popular of the bunch, but there are other not-​as-​intense trails for those who want something easier. There’s also plenty of campground and informational plaques around the park sharing historical and nature information.
But of course, my experience with the park has always been Flatiron – a grueling but rewarding hike both in the view that you get and the workout you achieve! Only take on this hike (who am I kidding, it’s really a climb!) unless you are in good shape and prepared mentally. The hike down can seem scarier than the ascent but it really isn’t as long as you focus on where you step. Get out to Lost Dutchman and see all it has to offer for yourself!

Superstition Mountains — YAY! Such an awesome sight! We encountered the friendliest woman yesterday when we paid our entry fee at 7am. She was delightful! $ 7 for entry fee. Signs at front saying to hikers «no flush toilets, only porta potties». That’s fine, thanks for letting us know what to expect. HOWEVER, if you’re going to only have porta potties, you HAVE to empty them! :-(OMG! Sooooo disgusting… I swear, they were like almost full to the rim (bleh, barf, gross!). The hike was fantastic, trails perfect, loved the benches throughout for scenic selfie shots! :-) Just… clean out the toilets and we’d give you 5 stars! :-)

I took #56 trail. It was a good workout (moderate difficulty) and breathtaking view of the mountain. When I arrived around 9am on Sat, the parking lot was almost full and when I left around 10:30am, it was full. I recommend to go early. The ranger explained each trail in detail at the gate. Trails are well-​marked and enough people to follow (not crowded).

So far, all the Arizona State Parks we have visited and parked our camper in have been cool experiences. As I write my view is of the Flat Iron top (elevation 4,861′) and Superstition mountains range. I mean a complete view of jagged red cliffs stare me in the face with coffee in hand from my trailer window. Soon I will pack up the mountain bike gear and Salsa Fat Tire bike and head into Gold Canyon down the road for some thrills, no-​spills on knobby designed single track trails. There are other places to mountain bike near by too.
In the Dutchman, there are many easy to difficult and strenuous trails to hike on and observe the flora and fauna! Lots of critters and birds (cactus wren, thrasher and California quail) enjoy this desert with you on your walk. I really like the trails leaving right from my camp spot.
In the campground, there are full water and electric hook ups or dry camping (no hook ups) for tenters, RV’s and trailers. I like the loop with pull throughs so you can orient my trailer view of the mountains the way I prefer and ensure the sun is hitting the solar panels correctly if dry camping – we are! It’s been 70−80º day and high 50’s night with a little morning and/​or night breeze and lots of invigorating sunshine.
Restroom facilities and park amenities are well maintained. Very quiet park, not close to any busy or noisy roads. Close to towns. Places for a day drive to Canyon Lake or Tortilla Flat mining town. You will have plenty stuff to keep busy!
So here comes the sun lighting up the valley now. Can’t wait to see the next Sonoran Sunset tonight. Gotta go hit the trails, eat a big lunch at camp and enjoy a campfire with some IPA in hand this evening. What a life to camp in the southwest AZ desert!

Great state park not far from Phoenix area. Park offers info about the natural habitats and also campgrounds. It also provides hiking trails to the Legendary mountain for adventure seekers. A nice view to see a Arizona desert sunset.

I did the Flatiron hike for the first time on Feb 14^th 2016. Boy was it tough! I have done Piestewa Peak several times and Camelback Chollo trail once. but Flatiron was the hardest I have done yet. We parked at Saguaro parking lot, it was not too hard to find a spot. It took us about 7 hours round trip from the parking lot, to the top of Flatiron and back. We did take a lot of breaks and my tracker said the round trip was about 10 miles. Overall, the park is beautiful and the weather was perfect for the hike. Flowers are starting to bloom and there are some easier trails for nice walks.
Enjoy and Be Safe!

The Flat Iron hike was my mental and physical marathon.
I overheard someone on the trail say the hike was rated an ⁸⁄₁₀.
If that is accurate I can’t imagine a 10!!!
We got there around 8:30am on a Saturday and weren’t alone.
Even with the tons of people we found ourselves somehow off the main trail area.
I say «area» because there is no trail once you get beyond the basin. There are just a ton of boulders you have to climb.
We got close to the top and got stuck. While we were contemplating attempting hoisting ourselves up a small cliff and possibly falling to our death, some young boys came to our rescue. We showed them the sticky spot and they scrambled up it in a second and shouted down that the top was right there! YEEEEHAAAA!!! What a relief after 2 ½ hours of intense cardio. The view all the way was amazing. The view at the top was something you couldn’t see anywhere. Breathtaking! So worth every ounce of effort!
On the way down we made sure we stayed on the main trail area. Going down this area made us realize how much extra work we had made for ourselves on the way up! We had scrambled up areas with loose rock that was slippery. These bigger rocks weren’t easier, but a little safer? Helmet please… Our knees were shot! But we made it in an hour and a half.
ADVICE: When you get to the basin there are some tricky spots that made us panic and think of stopping. There was a woman at that point. She was looking for the tiny shirt of her husband (among the many) who was returning down the crack of boulders. She had stayed behind because of the panic we had felt. While she was there for 2 hours she found out that she had made it past the hardest part of the trail and now regretted not going on. She urged us on and we did the same for others when we passed that spot. In other words… DON“T QUIT! This hike is the experience of a lifetime!

Holy cow! I’ve lived within 30 minutes of this park most of my life and passed it several times. I can’t believe this was the first time I’d ever been. Unfortunately it was just for family pictures. There are several beautiful trails throughout the park and camping is also available for those who want an overnight stay. The park location sits just Northwest of the Superstitions. I can’t wait to come back soon and spend a whole day roaming the desert at this beautiful park.

We went to summit the flat irons being complete noobs. As a result, we got off trail and got stuck for 30 minutes. Luckly, a very nice park ranger (Jim), guided us and put us on the right path.
Paid 7 bucks for parking, experience gained and scenery: priceless.

This review isnt specifically for the park, but rather rather Flat Iron. I had no idea what I got myself into. I didn’t do my research and am an amateur hiker.
Holy crap! !!! I am writing this review the day after the magnificent 7hr hike and am still giving 5 stars.
This hike is breathtaking. Experiencing all of nature’s raw pure beauty was truly spectacular.
This is a difficult hike. I’m not going to lie. It took 7 hours start to finish, burning 6000 calories, climbing 165 stories and over 20k steps, and did over 20k steps per fit bit.
Absolutely beautiful hike in October.

Well maintained. Clean. Affordable. All in all a good tent camping experience.
They are slowly adding steel roofs over picnic benches at some of the non-​powered sites in the park.
The bathroom I used was nearly hotel-​clean. Staff were attentive and professional.
On my site I never saw any snakes or scorpions but that doesn’t mean they aren’t around. Trash cans are never far away. The terrain is rocky-​sandy. You are probably not going to be able to use tent stakes. Your tent should be free standing unless you want to take time to hammer in sturdy metallic stakes.
The birds will invade your stuff when you’re not at your table, so select what you leave sitting out accordingly. Birds can rip open paper and plastic bags. They pecked at the lid of my styrofoam ice chest.
There’s lots of insects, be sure to bring repellant (the more toxic the better) and flying insect spray as well as sprays for things crawling on the ground. I think they have no-​see-​ums too.
Always check your shoes before putting them on. You might consider bringing a UV flashlight to check for scorpions at night. One thing you don’t want is to get stung on your camping trip.
The park is surrounded by coyotes, they sleep all day and run around partying all night. They’re loud. Consider something in your ears to sleep through the coyotes screaming all night long. This is another reason to never leave anything edible laying out. One thing you don’t want is for your tent site to become home to a twenty coyote party at 3am.
It looked like each site has an expanded steel picnic bench and two charcoal grills as well as a pull-​through paved parking spot. These steel picnic tables are brutal to sit on, bring a cushion.
I believe this park is part of a flood plain. You probably don’t want to be here in the event of a large rain event on the Superstition Mountains.
The park is located on Highway 88 (north Apache Trail) several miles north-​east of Apache Junction, AZ. Drive up to the building at the entrance and pay for your site. You get handed a map then drive back to your spot. If the place is mostly empty you may drive back and pick a spot without committing to one at the entrance. Mine was $ 15 for one person per night. You will want to bring one flashlight per person. Water is available at the bathrooms.
Read this if you’re coming to AZ from the midwest: Someone in your family got stung by a scorpion? You’re not gonna die. Unless you are a small child or baby with entire body neuro symptoms the sad reality is: it’s going to suck to be you for 48+ hours. Sorry, there is no medical emergency. If you’re an infant/​toddler with a sting, that’s different. Just because you want scorpion anti-​venum doesn’t mean the hospital will have it or that you meet the qualifications for it. Scorpion and snakebite anti-​venum is super expensive $ 20k+ your insurance probably won’t cover.
The humidity is low so whatever amount of water you may be drinking, it’s not enough. Add gatorade and always be sipping. Always be sipping. You lose lots of water just breathing.
Don’t attract wild animals, the wild pigs we call Javelina or Coyotes are not nice neighbors. They attack and bite, some will chase you at 30+mph just because. Don’t become a victim. Food and trash attracts invaders. This park is dotted with trash cans for your safety.
There’s cactus with thousands of needles really close to your tent site. Small kids can easily fall into a cactus, then you spend 12 hours at the hospital getting them pulled out one at a time.
Most snake bites are a significant medical emergency, respond accordingly.

Thoroughly enjoyed my time at Lost Dutchman. My husband and I hiked into our camping spot up as close as we could get to the perfect view of the canyon. Incredible sunset. The next evening we hiked up Lost Dutchman and enjoyed a day of picture taking and a picnic at the top. Wish we could’ve stayed a couple more days! Also check out Goldfield ghost town on the way, located on the left about 2 miles from the entrance into the park!

One of my favorite places to hike! Beautiful scenery and breathtaking views.

Only 1 hr drive from Phoenix. We had a blast hiking and then came back down with flash lights for a free Stargazing event hosted by Dr. Sky who showed us the constellations with a powerful laser. Really fun.
It gets dark, but the «light bubble» from the city interfered with ourability to see the stars more clearly.
If your hoping to star gaze, there are darker places than this park.

This is one of my favorite places to bring people that are visiting from other countries or states. The food is good the views are amazing and we alwaya have such a great time.

What a beautiful mountain! Super close and amazing hiking, gorgeous views, a story about a secret gold mine in the mountain, how can you beat it?

Gorgeous state park with some stunning views. Lots of different types of trails that one can mix and match. We did the crosscut and the loop, avoiding the flatiron on the other side, which was a nice mix of a steady incline and some steeper parts. All had well defined trails with not much traffic for a Sunday morning. Heard the flatiron is great and one has to scramble over rocks, plus there are lots of mountain biking trails we saw. Also heard of and barely saw some other trails leading across the park that looked interesting. Hope to come back and try then out!

Beautiful well maintained campground. I don’t think there is a bad site, all of them have a lovely view of the Superstitious Mountains. Nice hikes, although as you got up higher the trails became more rough-​scramble. Watch for the jumping chollas!
It would have been nice to be better informed of the local camping customs. We called ahead and were told they had only two campsites left for only one night each, which we promptly reserved. On arrival, we had no idea (nor were we told) that there was an additional, largely available, overflow camping area which would have suited our needs better. When we did find out about the overflow area, we picked out a couple nice adjoining sites, left our bicycles parked in the parking pads, then went back to the ranger to settle up – only to find that our selected campsites had already been spoken for, with no evidence of occupancy or reserved signs. That was pretty off-​putting and quite different from what we are accustomed to (pick a site, establish occupancy, then go pay). We also would have simply preferred to set up camp in the overflow area and paid for the 3 days we spent there rather than moving midway through.
Despite this miscommunication, I still give this a 4 star rating for its beauty and accessible trail system.

It was such a treat to be out here after a couple of days of rain in AZ. The dessert was in bloom and there is absolutely nothing like running dessert trails in the beautiful state of Arizona.
Because of time constraints, we opted to loop around Treasure trail for a short run/​hike. I was really sorry not to have brought a real camera. It was so beautiful out there. Like any other state farms, I would not go on a weekend to enjoy the park more.

Great hiking in a beautiful area. We loved it. Next time… we won’t stop here in summer! ;-) It was very HOT but still worth it.

I don’t even think you can actually rate something this beautiful. Arizona is so full of magnificent beauty, I’m always thrilled when I find a new piece of it.
Lost Dutchman is, I believe, the entrance to the Superstition mountains. I’m not very familiar with the area but I believe that’s what I was told. At any rate it’s just so serene and beautiful here.
For $ 7 entry you can drive about ¼ of a mile in and then hit the trailhead It’s an easy hike to the mountain, but the mountain is another story. Hard, hard, hard! Whew.
I highly recommend even just driving this direction. It’s majestic and breathtaking. Nature at it’s very best.

* GOOD HIKING, WELL MAINTAINED GROUNDS *
we didn’t want to drive to sedona or anywhere that was 2+ hr away to go hiking. besides, it was hot. we knew we weren’t going to do a crazy dehydrating hike.
from phoenix to lost dutchman state park, it was a 45 min drive. there is a $ 7 parking fee per car. they have a variety of hikes from easy to hard. if you are an avid hiker wanting a challenge, you can hike the siphon draw trail on the east side of superstition mountain.
we did the easy hike which was Treasure Loop #56 (westside of the mountain). it’s a 2.4 mile loop that is well marked. it was the end of march, but i didn’t see the fields of red and yellow wildflowers. we saw some yellow ones but there weren’t fields of them (just many tall cactii here and there).
we enjoyed the hike. it was long enough to get our exercise on. we saw some families with children complaining which was kinda funny. «i’m tired! i don’t want to hike up anymore… only want to hike downhill.»
brought water, our tripod (this is a must for us), snacks, and a sandwich. the sandwich wasn’t necessary since the hike wasn’t too long. but we wanted to be prepared since hiking while hungry isn’t pleasant.
glad we decided to visit lost dutchman park instead of driving further to other locations.

Lost Dutchman State Park is located in Apache Junction off highway 88. This is a park located in the superstition Mountains that is home to siphon draw trail which leads you up to the top of the superstition Mountains and flat iron. A very challenging climb but well worth it. Parking is seven dollars at the ranger station. Please bring plenty of water and give yourself time to hike down in daylight.

In a state where the memory of one hike gets lost in another, with its endlessly-​similar vistas of cacti, red rock, and sand… much like the female lookalike contestants on «The Bachelor» …the Lost Dutchman State Park really stands out.
Go during the spring time and you’ll be rewarded with a majestic view of Mount Superstition in the background with carpets red and yellow wildflowers as its welcome mat. Be lucky enough to snag a campsite during the (extremely) busy season and say «hello» to your camping neighbors — Peggy and Bob from Wichita Falls, KS with their snappy Casita, or Joe and Karen from Boise, Idaho, with their 1980s camper, detailed in brown and orange. Just know that nobody… NOBODY…in these parts camp with a tent and poles — that’s tres gauche, baby. It’s RVs, the occasional ATV, and electric generators all the way, baby.
There are about 70 campsites, which are pretty well maintained. When we arrived the campsite had been cleaned and carefully raked in a hypnotic pattern, like a Japanese rock garden. Even the most basic ones have a firepit, picnic table, and a great view of Mount Superstition. Unfortunately — the way that the sites are so close together and positioned, and the tendency for camping neighbors to make the rounds — fulfilling my greatest fantasy, peeing in the great outdoors next to a dying cactus and a crumpled up Pabst can — is out of the question. Instead, one must find her way through a maze of other campsites and other people roasting their weenies — to one of the only two bathroom/​showers.
The park offers many easy to moderate and the killer-​est of hikes — Siphon Trail up to Flatiron. Staying at the campsite allows you to start about midway, though that won’t make the trail any easier. Bringing your own oxygen tank, stretcher and medic might be more helpful. All hikes offer magnificent views of the mountain and surrounding areas. Once you ascend the mountain, Phoenix — in all of its magnificent smoggy flatness — lays before you.
Be warned that the park is extremely popular with EVERYONE and his third cousin. Even early morning on a Monday we were met with large groups of hikers attempting the Siphon trail. Fortunately, the sun rises from behind the mountain, so hiking early morning is nice and cool, while the sun’s at your back when you make your decent (assuming you made it all the way up in one piece). A worthwhile visit for anyone in the Phoenix area and beyond.

The best first date I’ve ever been on — a moonlight hike around Lost Dutchman Park. I’ve never hiked this area because I hike alone and Lost Dutchman always gives me an eerie feeling when I’m close by. I think that eerie feeling combined with the fact that it was dark and we were only led by the light of the full moon gave the date much more excitement.
We took the Siphon Draw to the Green Boulder Trail and it was very long, maybe two miles and not difficult. The weather was perfect and the moon reflecting off the jagged peaks and saguaros looked stunning, very romantic. The smell of the desert and its sounds — they seemed to be present more so at night. I’ve been on hikes at night before but nothing like this, I don’t know if it was because I was in good company and he was so knowledgeable and respectful of nature that it heightened my senses or what but it was such a wonderful and unique adventure.
Fellas, if your lady likes to hike, take her here. This sweet man said he had to wait longer than he would have liked to ask me out because he wanted there to be a full moon for our perfect first date.

I can’t say enough about this place. The view is stellar. The sites are private. And the nearby trails are gorgeous. Truly a great park. Site 69 was wonderful and close to bathrooms.
Great for dogs.