A Glorious Weekend at Lost Dutchman State Park

We spent a glorious weekend at Lost Dutchman State Park in Arizona.  The weather was beautiful, the wildflowers were in bloom, and everyone had a blast.  It was actually almost too hot.  We decided this was our last desert camping trip until the fall.  Up to the mountains we go for the rest of the summer!

While The Husband and I were setting up the camper the kids found the only shade on our site to cool down in. (Little Miss brought a friend on this trip.)

We are trying to visit places we have not previously been and Lost Dutchman was on that list.  The pictures of it are beautiful so we figured, why not.  The park sits at the base of the Superstition Mountains and is rather large, but all the sites appear to have great views.

Friday evening we were treated to a spectacular show of all that nature has to offer. This was the view to our left…

Double rainbow above the Superstition Mountains.

This was the view straight ahead.

The kids having a blast dancing in an unexpected rain shower.

The desert rain illuminated by the setting sun.

And this was the view to our right.  Absolutely incredible.

And then after the rain stopped we were treated to this sunset.  It was the perfect ending to a rather hectic week.

Sunset over Phoenix, looking away from the Superstitions.

There are several hiking trails within the park.  The map makes them look spread apart but they were surprisingly close together and they all intersect.

We actually started on one trail and ended up on another.  I was happy that they ended in the same parking lot. You can also access the trails from the campground.  Before dinner one night The Husband and I took a walk to get some better pictures of the Superstition Mountains and ended up halfway up the trail. Once we started walking we didn’t want to stop.

The Superstitions are much more defined in the afternoon/evening hours. They are rather flat in the morning but still glorious, nonetheless.

Sunlight on the Superstitions first thing in the morning.

These rocks are known as the praying hands. Also notice the circular rock to the right of the praying hands that looks like it’s about to roll down the mountain.

The top of the Superstitions remind me of the Needles in South Dakota.

Hedgehog cactus with vibrant pink flowers.

Canyon Lake is about 20 minutes away so after lunch we drove to the lake to cool down.  The drive to the lake is beautiful and this time of the year the road is literally lined in wildflowers.

Even if you don’t want to visit the lake I recommend driving to the lake.  The scenery is pretty spectacular.

The scenery between Lost Dutchman State Park and Canyon Lake.

There are several beach areas at Canyon Lake and the kids had a blast playing in the water.

The kids could have stayed all afternoon but it was hot and all the shade was taken so we only stayed for an hour.

Lost Dutchman State Park is worth a visit. We will definitely be back; just not until fall. 🙂 Trips like this are why we work so hard to make time to get outdoors as a family. The entire weekend was beautiful and relaxing and everyone had a blast. It will go down in memory as one of our more memorable trips.