Superstition Mountains Desert Panorama

Click on the above image to see the panorama

The Superstition Mountains had a real good Publicity Representative. Without the name, this range of hills east of the Salt River Valley would likely be much less visited. The area also has the unfortunate and inaccurate association with various goldmine legends, including the famous Lost Dutchman Mine. I may go into the gold mine story business some day, but right now, I am more interested in cactus and the mountains themselves.

The panoramic photo shows the south side of the Superstition Wilderness Area. The Wilderness is administered by the Tonto National Forest. Here is what they have to say about it:

This Wilderness was designated in 1939, and was expanded to its present size in 1984. 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. Trail conditions vary from fair to very poor. Several trails are unsuitable for horses.

The Superstition Wilderness Area has the distinction of having a wilderness boundary right next to suburban subdivisions and commercial establishments. The picture above was taken from the Hieroglyphic Trail, looking north. If I had completed the picture around to the south, you would see houses and roads and the east end of the huge Salt River Valley which contains the Phoenix/Mesa Metroplex. Phoenix is currently the fifth largest city in the United States.

The picture shows the impressive variety of plant life in the Arizona/Sonora Desert, including the prominent saguaro cactus. The other prominent cactus are Teddy-bear cholla. Most of the bushes visible are creosote. There are a large number of palo verde trees which are mostly shorter and bush-like rather than looking like trees.

I am sure I will have more comments about the desert.