It’s a beautiful morning with blue skies and sunshine – a typical Arizona morning in the winter! Not only is the Lost Dutchman a popular campground, but there is also a steady stream of day hikers, picnickers, birdwatchers, and sightseers to this iconic park. There are over 12 miles of trails within the state campground, but the park is adjacent to the Tonto National Forest offering many more hiking opportunities and other recreational activities, i.e., parasailing. The Superstitious Mountains are 2nd to the Grand Canyon for the most photographed landmark in Arizona.
In researching how these mountains were named, we learned that the Native Americans were superstitious about them, leading the early settlers to christen the mountains with the name in the mid-1860s. You may have heard about the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine which according to legend, is a rich gold mine hidden generally believed to be in the Superstitious Mountains. Thousands have trekked to the mountain hoping to find gold, but no one has succeeded, and some have died looking for it.
Ron took a quick hike this morning, getting a few good photos of birds and wildlife here. Since we haven’t done laundry since Sunrise Park in Deming, New Mexico – it’s way overdue and that’s our mission today. The laundromat closest to our campground is clean, nice, and extremely busy. We were able to get all of our clothes in washers and dryers but as we were leaving, there was a line for both. We also decided to visit a local REI store and picked up some gear, Ron a hat and hiking pants, and pants/shirt for me.
This took a big chunk out of the day and by the time we returned, ate supper, and put away laundry, it was getting dark and we turned in early.
2025 Airstream Travels 