We really want to do a hike today but we cannot decide on any nearby trail and we don’t want to go far. In the end we think, why not the Superstition Mountains? There is an area with many caches that we didn’t visit before so we decide to try it especially as one cache promises an arch which sounds interesting enough. The parking spot we pick however is really full with even the access road having cars parked on it, still we find a spot for our small car and hope that nobody will squash it when they return with the ATVs.
Most cars in the parking lot were towing trailers for ATVs so we expected some on the road especially in the beginning. However we see none in the first hour so we hope that maybe they are a lot further inland in the maze of roads/trails that crisscross the area.
The views of the Superstition mountains behind us are quite good and we really enjoy them whenever we catch a breath. Or when we find a cache especially if it involves playing Frogger in a sea of chollas (yes we survive with all our lives and limbs intact).
We also stop for the many birds and interesting cacti but the road side. There are quite a few black-throated sparrows, a bird that we especially like due to its beautiful color contrast. It is a challenge to find one in a nice position to take photos though….
But the most common bird here seems to be the cactus wren. They are literally everywhere and they even seem to collect grass for their nests, maybe at this time of the year they build the fake nests?!
Next cache requires us to climb on a mountain ridge with some great views in all directions. Luckily it is an easy find as the climb is quite tiring even though not technically challenging.
We are actually happy for the climb as on the main road there is a loud ATV gathering, we found our missing ATVs. Luckily all of them leave before we descend back to the main road, we are quite happy as they were quite loud disturbing the peace and quiet that we enjoyed up to the point.
We now reach a crossroad and have to decide between multiple trails but given that we made good time till here we decide to keep our original plan to go to the three mile loop named quite hauntingly “Horse with No Name”. The road up to the “trailhead” is via a wash and this road is more difficult for cars but not for us of course.
We soon pass a spring and then we have to keep our eyes open to find the trail that we only know from our GPS. We really hope that the trailhead is visible from the road otherwise we will have to return without being able to do it as the terrain seems to be quite unforgiving.
Luckily a good soul marked the trail start with color tape and afterwards the trail is easy to follow so after a quick lunch break we go up and up towards the towering cliffs that even have an impressive but shallow grotto in it.
One of the things that really impresses us in this stretch are the multitude of lichens, they are of all colors, shapes and sizes and it looks really like an artwork when looking at them close by.
And then we arrive in what we call the “Magical Valley”. It seems like something from an sci-fi movie when they show a different planet. Everything is yellow tinged from the many lichens that grow on these rocks, it is really breathtaking and the trail through here is quite impressive to us.
There are even small rivers providing a dark contrast to the dominant yellow color, it is a photographers paradise and we spend a lot of time just gawking at the many beautiful sights.
We spend that much time because the trail is still up from the valley towards a ridge that we really hope is the end of the climb as we are quite winded.
The ridge is the top, yoohoo, and the next section is level and still very beautiful and we can recuperate from the climb and go faster. Still we have to be careful as we find a mini tarantula on the trail, we cannot quite decide if it is a baby or something else until at home we read that in the Superstition Mountains there is a specific small tarantula called Superstition Mountains tarantula, quite happy we got to see it.
Now it is time to descend into the colorful wilderness, the colors are still beautiful but the lichens are mostly done and the trail returns to “normal” colors.
Here there is a cache that hasn’t been found for quite some time and we spend a lot of time looking unsuccessfully for it. In fact we spend so much time that we don’t have time for the arch later. Still we decide to complete the loop if even just to see the full trail condition.
Soon we are at the furthest point from the road, the turnaround point of the loop and where a campsite for horseriders is set up. Quite interesting, unfortunately we don’t have horses for next time, nor would we necessarily trust them on all sections. As we return we keep an eye out for the arches and finally spot one, it is far in the distance and only one hour till sunset so no time to visit it as we expected.
The return section is much less defined and we even lose the trail a few times so we are happy we were able to do it in the sunlight. We count our blessings that we didn’t go to the arch as we are not sure if we would have been able to find the trail continuations especially in the washes where they sometimes simply peter out and the exit is in a completely different direction and hardly visible. However the trail is still beautiful passing through cactus forests and washes, we really enjoy it.
We arrive at the main road before complete darkness, in fact we have time for one more difficult cache on top of a hill before the sun finally dips and then soon we are hiking in total darkness towards the car. It is something that we enjoy and are prepared for with headlamps and extra clothes for the cold and this is a section we already hiked and presents no problems to us. We are back at the car at around 8 PM and then it is a short drive home to wait midnight and all the fireworks (which started actually much earlier and we even saw from our hike while returning in the darkness).
