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 The
Superstition Wilderness Area is filled with many
beautiful and mysterious areas. Searching out these
special places has been a lifetime avocation of
mine. I worked on a cattle ranch for several years,
hiked the trails as a young man and continue riding
the trails throughout adulthood.
My love for the history, beauty and solitude of
region has not diminished in any way. I continue
today hiking and walking in the Superstition
Wilderness Area and even enjoying it more because it
has been saved from development.
Many years ago a gentlemen ask me what was my
favorite hide-a-way in the Superstition Wilderness.
This certainly was a difficult choice for me because
I had so many places I loved and cherished within
this rugged mountain wilderness of deep canyons and
towering spires. Wandering the trails and remote
regions of this wilderness was as exciting as
gathering the history and legend of the region.
After a moment of indecision I decided to make my
choices of favorite locales in the wilderness.
 The
first one was the rugged interior of Rough’s Canyon
that flowed into Fish Creek Canyon in the eastern
portion of the wilderness area. This canyon is
beautiful in its transition through desert flora to
high-mountain flora. Water is generally found year
around in this canyon making it an oasis in the
desert. The canyon floor is filled with house-size
boulders making it almost impossible to hike
through. An old cattleman named Floyd Stone once
told me he got a horse down into the canyon and
actually had to build a trail to get him out.
Knowing old Stone and his ability with livestock I
didn’t doubt his story at all. He ran the old Reavis
and Tortilla allotment for a couple of decades with
his father-in-law John A. “Hoolie” Bacon. The early
inhabitants of the Superstition Wilderness built
cliff dwellings in Rough Canyon and these ruins
today are a mute testimony to their survival
instincts of almost millennium ago.
Another favorite location in the wilderness is Log
Trough Canyon. This canyon is filled with large
Ponderosa pines and thick underbrush. It is
extremely difficult for a man or women on horseback
to negotiate the trail along the canyon’s floor.
Near the head of this canyon there are some old
“trigger-traps” used to catch wild cattle. The brush
in this canyon was so thick it was impossible to
work cattle on horseback in the old days. Cattlemen
like William J. Clemans, John A. Bacon, and Floyd
Stone would tell you, “a good cow dog was worth a
dozen good cowboys in this brushy country.”
The beauty and solitude of Log Trough Canyon is
unique. Several years ago I spent several hours
watching a clearing among the towering pines of this
canyon. As the wind rustled through the tops of
these pines and the rays of sun broke through into
the clearing a young doe browsed on the deep green
grass that covered the floor of the clearing. It was
such a tranquil scene it mesmerized me for several
minutes. This is the kind of beauty and tranquility
you find in Log Trough Canyon.
 Another
favorite location is the top of Weaver’s Needle. I
am quite convinced I will never climb to the top of
Weaver’s Needle again, but my experience climbing
the “Needle” in the 1950s and 1960s will live with
me forever. I really don’t consider climbing the
“needle” a technical climb, however it is highly
recommended only for experienced rock climbers or
mountain climbers. An old friend of mine, Clay
Worst, climbed the “needle” in an emergency in the
1960s and I doubt very much he would recommend the
average person to undertake such a climb. I don’t
encourage anyone to climb Weaver’s Needle unless
they are in good physical shape and experienced in
mountain climbing.
There was an old retired Navy photographer named
Dewey Wildoner who mastered the climb when he was
seventy-two years old. Dewey was a veteran hiker and
climber. He celebrated his birthday while camping
out over-night on top of Weaver’s Needle. Dewey was
a dedicated photographer of the during the 1960’s
and 1970’s. He shared his photographs and slides
with the public by doing slide programs on the
Superstition Mountains. Dewey was known as
“Superstition Curley” to many people in the Apache
Junction area.
The climb to the top of Weaver’s Needle is a very
exhilarating experience. Once on top, the view is
spectacular. Looking to the northeast and into
Needle Canyon is a magnificent view. The three or
four times I have climbed the Weaver’s Needle the
wind blew constantly on top. There is a small area
cleared for putting up a tent. Over the years a lot
of people have climbed Weaver’s Needle safely, but
as a word caution, many have also died in their
attempt.
I love the ride down into Reavis Canyon from the
Reavis Ranch Trail. This ride or hike produces one
of the truly scenic locations in the Superstition
Wilderness Area. At the end of the trail is the
spectacular Reavis Fall when there is sufficient
water flowing over it. The water drops over a basalt
ledge and falls one hundred and ninety-six feet into
a large plunge pool. The best time to visit this
area is during the winter months.
Another favorite trip of mine is a hike or ride to
the top of Summit 5024 on the top of the northwest
end of Superstition Mountain. I have been climbing
Superstition Mountain since 1951. My last trip up
Siphon Draw Trail was in the April of 2002. The hike
can be somewhat crowded if you do it on a weekend
during cool weather. Of course the higher you climb
the fewer people you will encounter. Ninety percent
of the hikers abandon the climb at the base of the
first stretch of slide rock. From this point on, the
trail is almost vertical and requires considerable
care to prevent injury. My last trip up Siphon Draw
required almost four hours and thirty minutes too
complete. The view from Summit 5024 toward Mesa and
Phoenix is spectacular on a clear day. Superstition
Mountain is the line of demarcation between rural
and urban Arizona.
The other choice to the top of Summit 5024 is by
horseback. A trip I do not recommend. Yes, a horse
can make it to the top of Summit 5024, but it could
be the horse or the rider’s last trip anywhere. The
endurance of the animal you are riding will depend
whether or not you can make it to the top. The
average horse is not in good enough shape to make
the climb to the top of Summit 5024 without
considerable preparation. The ride to the top
includes loose talus debris, shear drop-offs
exceeding 500 feet, steep inclines of 50 degrees or
more and along trails so narrow there is absolutely
no room for error in judgment. A calm horse is a
real necessity for this trip. The horse must be used
to walking on solid rock, slanted slide rock, loose
talus debris and must not become panicked when
slipping on rock. I haven’t owned a horse in the
past several years that I would trust on such a
trip. The climb to the summit 5024 requires about
three hours and thirty minutes and the return trip
requires about two hours.
These are my favorite spots in the Superstition
Wilderness Area and I am sure other people have
their favorites. The beauty of the wilderness is
enjoying the solitude and tranquility away from the
congestion of our cities, their sirens, traffic and
lights. Thanks to the vision of conservators such as
Leopold, Pinchot, and Muir we today enjoy the beauty
and solitude of these wonderful wilderness areas. If
it where not for men like these we would be looking
at a large hotel on the Flat Iron and cable cars
running up and down Superstition Mountain in our
backyards.
For information about the trails on most of these
hikes pick up a copy of Jack Carlson’s and Elizabeth
Stewart’s book, Hiker’s Guide to the Superstition
Wilderness. Most of these trails will be in his
book. Most stores and museums in the valley carry
his book.
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