Arizona superstition mountians wilderness BAckpacking

An early morning 7am pickup in Scottsdale starts off our Cactus Rustler Adventure! Heading east to into the Superstition mountains we start our day with 4 miles of hiking to camp. Blacktop Mesa sits in the background while we drop our packs and enjoy our lunch. Protruding from the desert landscape our afternoon consists of a short 3 mile hike to the top of Blacktop Mesa for some awesome 360 degree views of the Superstition Wilderness!

The setting sun will tell us it's time to return to camp for some top-tier guide cooked dinner! 

Hike: Blacktop Mesa 2300 ft elevation. 4.5 mile point-to-point, 3 mile out and back 

1600 ft gain/ 800 ft decent. 

Lunch/Dinner included

Hot coffee and breakfast gets us moving as we pack up camp and start todays hike. Standing in the distance we hike near one of the main characters of the Lost Dutchmans gold story ...The Weavers Needle! Towering above us as we hike to camp we will keep our eyes out for gold and ghosts underneath this rock monolith! Arriving at camp we will kick off our boots and enjoy a guide prepared dinner and the theater of the night sky. 

Hike: Weavers Needle 3500ft elevation. 6 mile point-to-point, 1500 ft gain / 720 ft decent. 

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included

Early morning sunshine lets us know its time for coffee and breakfast as we clean up camp and prep for the day! Giant cliffs and rock formations tease the eyes during our 7 mile hike as neon green and florescent orange lichen flash across the landscape...some of the brightest lichen we've ever seen! After dinner we will search the brush and cactus for the Peralta Map....a set of pictographs that shows the "location" of the Lost Dutchman's gold mine! 

Hike:  Charlebois Spring 2300ft elevation. 7 mile point-to-point, 600 ft gain/ 1200 ft decent.

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included

Our final morning in the desert we sip hot coffee and watch the sun rise above the mountain peaks! Todays hike shows off pristine Sonoran desert as we pass giant Saguaro cactus, slender Ocotillo plants and colorful lizards! This unique desert is the greenest and wettest of all the deserts and shows in it's diversity of life and plants. Tired and dusty you'll be ready for the creature comforts and shower at the hotel! An 8 mile hike finishes the trip as we head back to Scottsdale about 5pm. 

(No Flyouts before 7pm please!)

Hike:  Dutchman's outbound 2500ft. 8 mile point-to-point, 1100 ft gain / 1300 ft decent

Breakfast/Lunch included

Breakfast burrito's start our early morning adventure with a 6am pickup in Scottsdale! Our 2.5 hour drive to the trailhead gets us on our first days hike...10 miles to Reavis ranch! Hiking through a mountain passage we head high above the desert and into....trees! An apple orchard over 100 years old welcomes us to camp where we rest our feet and water up for the night! Guide prepared dinner and star filled sky wrap up the evening. 

Hike: Reavis Ranch 3600ft elevation. 10 mile point-to-point, 2000 ft gain / 700 ft decent

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included 

Hot coffee and breakfast prepare us for our 7 mile decent to Angel Spring! Leaving the chaparral biome surrounding us we will dive out of the trees and back down to the desert floor and off the Arizona Trail. Our lunch break takes us on a small detour to check out the cliff  dwelling in Rogers Canyon...constructed about 600 years ago! Finishing the hike takes us into Angel Spring where we will set up camp and enjoy dinner with our boots off! 

Hike: Angel Spring 5000ft elevation. 8 mile point-to-point, 450 ft gain / 1650 ft decent

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included

Hot coffee and the sun rising gets us up and moving for the day! Our third day in the desert gives us crazy views of the volcanic skyline of the Superstition Wilderness. Unique rhyolite formations will have your camera full trying to get all the cool angles of the twisted spires of Cathedral Rock! Rolling into camp we set up and get some dinner and stars and some well deserved rest. 

Hike: Dripping Spring 3500ft elevation. 9 mile point-to-point, 1200 ft gain / 2200 ft decent

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included

Waking to the sounds of the desert we will get camp packed and head out early for one last night in the Superstitions. Lichen covered mountains glow neon green and orange above us as we hike through brushy canyons and pockets of trapped water. Hiking through some of the thickest vegetated areas of the Sonoran Desert we will get treated with flashes of color from the wild flowers and cactus blooms surrounding the area. Arriving at camp we enjoy our final group dinner and head off to search for the famous Peralta map....a series of petroglyphs showing the location of the Lost Dutchman gold mine! 

Hike: Charlebois Spring 2500 ft elevation. 9.5 mile point-to-point, 1200 ft gain /                1400 ft decent

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included

Hot coffee and breakfast fuel us for out final hike out of the Superstition Wilderness. Some of the best views of the wilderness show themselves today as we look back towards Weavers Needle. At our highpoint you can almost see the entire week of hiking as we head toward Canyon Lake. High fives and tired thighs wrap up the trip as we head back to Scottsdale for one of the best showers you'll ever have! 

(No Flyouts before 8pm please!)

Hike: Canyon Lake 2500 ft elevation 9.5 mile point-to-point, 900 ft gain / 1200 ft decent

Breakfast/Lunch included