Gold Canyon, Arizona

We decided yesterday morning to take a hike.

When Sophie heard us say the word “walk” early in the morning, she was suddenly wide awake. Well, awake enough to climb out from under the covers.

We decided to go on a hike called the Hieroglyphic Trail.

At a bit over three miles round trip, it’s a relatively short hike with a little less than 600 feet in total elevation gain. However, it’s very rocky in places and has a few challenging climbs.

There are actually three hikes at the trail head including the Lost Goldmine Trail. We’ll save that one for another day. (But I loved the signage enough to include it today.)

We walked through a gate to get into the Superstition Wilderness in Tonto National Park.

No matter what angle they are shot from, the Superstitions are simply stunning.

Last week’s rain was just enough to germinate new growth.

Parts of the trail were very rocky and there was an amazing amount of shrubbery considering we’re in the desert.

Near the top of the trail, we saw lots of people studying the hieroglyphs.

On our hike we wondered… What is the difference between a hieroglyph and a petroglyph? We had no clue, so I turned to Google.

A hieroglyph is a picture or symbol used in a system of writing.

A petroglyph is a pictogram (a pictorial symbol for a word or phrase) created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading.

So the hieroglyph is the symbol that becomes a petroglyph when it is inscribed in rock. At least that’s what I deciphered from everything I read on a Google search…

Here are some pictures of the hieroglyphic petroglyphs at the top of the trail.

We also saw an amazing balancing rock at the top of the canyon walls.

It was a great hike!

Gold Canyon, Arizona

Wow, what a great road trip we took yesterday.

Apache Trail Circle Route is a 120 mile historic road that runs east from Apache Junction to Theodore Roosevelt Lake. From there it runs south to the junction between Globe and Miami. Then west to Superior and on through Queen Valley and back to Apache Junction through Gold Canyon.

Although the trail’s official name today is “State Route 88”, it adopted the name “Apache Trail” in reference to the Apache Indians who originally inhabited the Superstition Mountains. The road was initially built as a way to open copper trade between the city of Globe and the Phoenix area. Today, however, it has become a very popular tourist destination. Winding through the Superstition Mountains, this circular road provides some of the most beautiful scenic views in central Arizona. It guides you up and down the steep desert mountains, past cliff dwellings, lake shores, eroded canyons, and old mining towns. (From viator.com)

Here are some pictures and highlights of our trip…

Canyon Lake is simply stunning. It is one of four reservoirs formed by the damming of the Salt River. The lake was formed by the Mormon Flat Dam, which was completed in 1925.

There were lots of fishermen in the lake, and  many birds reside in the area. It’s a birders’ paradise. We saw coots, mergansers (no clue what type),  and a type of hawk that I’m still trying to figure out. (He was huge with a buff colored chest.)

Just a bit east of Canyon Lake we saw hunters with HUGE telescopic lens looking for bighorn sheep. They obviously were set up for a long day because they had shade umbrellas and walkie talkies…

…to talk with their fellow hunters across the valley actually hunting the sheep.  We didn’t see any sheep, but we did see the hunters with our binoculars smack dab in the middle of this picture. Can you see them? Ha ha… I couldn’t either, but Rich did and pointed them out so that I finally saw them.

This is the first part of Apache Lake we saw. It’s a long skinny lake that must be very popular with house boaters based on the number of them we saw docked in the marinas.

Apache Lake is formed by Horse Mesa Dam which impounds the Salt River. It was completed in 1927 and is the second largest of the four Salt River Project reservoirs.

Our drive took us right alongside the length of Apache Lake.

All the vegetation on the north side of the mountains is sublimely green and lush.

At the end of Apache Lake is the Theodore Roosevelt Dam which is at the base of Theodore Roosevelt Lake. This dam is the largest of the Salt River Project Dams, and the Roosevelt is the largest lake that is wholly inside the state of Arizona.

Construction of the Roosevelt Dam started in 1904. When it was completed in 1911, Roosevelt Dam was the tallest masonry dam in the world at 280 feet.

In 1996, a massive expansion project aimed at increasing the capacity of the lake was finished. The dam was resurfaced with concrete and raised an additional 77 feet.

This increased the lake’s capacity by over 20% and provided much needed flood control space on the Salt River. Shortly after completion, however, the area entered into a prolonged period of drought, and it wasn’t until 2005 when the new capacity was used. The lake reached 100% capacity in 2009.

You can see the demarcation line for the old and new portions of the dam in this photo of the back side of the dam.

All of the block for the original portion of the dam was hand cut. Here’s a sample.

And spanning the lake just near the dam is the Roosevelt Lake Bridge. It is painted a beautiful light blue and is just stunning. In 1996 it was named one of the twelve most outstanding bridges in the nation; that list included the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges.

Gold Canyon, Arizona

We went for a long hike yesterday morning. It was grand!

We saw some amazing flowers…

But the focus for much of the hike was the Superstition Mountains. (All remaining images were harvested off the ‘Net.)

We are currently staying in the eastern portion of the Valley of the Sun which is bordered on the east by the Superstition Mountain Range. 

The Superstitions are always beautiful, but this morning we noticed a new green tinge to them, the result of last week’s heavenly rain.

The range resides within Superstition Wilderness which was designated in 1939. It now contains approximately 160,200 acres. There is a well-developed trail system, and the western end of the wilderness receives heavy use during the cooler times of the year.

The area is starkly beautiful and often rugged, but it can be inhospitable to those not equipped to meet nature on her own terms. Searing heat and a shortage of water are typical conditions in the summer. Bitter cold, rains (and even snowstorms) may occur in the winter. (From US Forest Service)

Later this week we plan to take a scenic drive around the mountain range. I’ll be taking lots of pictures during the drive for a more robust post…

In the meantime a bit of Native American lore about the Superstition Mountains:

Some Apaches believe that a hole leading down into the lower world, or hell, is located in the Superstition Mountains. Winds blowing from the hole are supposed to be the cause of severe dust storms called haboobs in the metropolitan region.