Overnight Backpacking the Superstition Ridgeline Trail - Lost Dutchman to Carney Springs

Join us on the most difficult hike in the Superstition Wilderness, the Ridgeline Trail. The trail begins at the Lost Dutchman State park near Apache Junction Arizona, with the Siphon Draw Trail and ends at the Carney Springs trail, which shares parking with the Wave Cave trail, just down the road a few minutes from the popular Peralta canyon. Overnight Parking at Lost Dutchman is $12-$15 depending on weekday or weekend. Dropping off your pickup car at the Carney Springs / Wave Cave area requires a lengthy ride on a well-maintained dirt road, easily accessible with any car.

From the Siphon Draw saddle camp spot (after hiking Flatiron the day prior) to the car we dropped off at the Carney Springs Trail, we hiked from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm with very few breaks. No joke. This is a difficult trail. With plenty of elevation gain to get your heart pumping, the trail is lined with cactus and numerous areas of loose gravel and fist sized ankle rollers (especially heading down Carney Springs), forcing a slower pace. Cairns mark the trail, but we did make a wrong turn at one point, where cairns were marking several trails going in different directions (I counted 3). The Alltrails map pointed us in the right direction (which seemed like the least likely way to go!).

Near the summit of Superstition Peak, a short “chimney” climb is required – not for the faint of heart. Good news is, if you have made it this far, you have already scaled the trickier parts of the Siphon Draw trail, so you shouldn’t have any trouble here. While a decent portion of the trail was burned, it doesn’t detract from the scenery much, since the rocky, rugged terrain has very little vegetation anyway.

Enjoy!

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