Lost Dutchman State Park Apache Junction Arizona

Lost Dutchman State Park - Apache Junction Arizona

Next stop on our journey was Lost Dutchman State Park outside of Apache Junction, Arizona. The drive up from Catalina SP only took 3 hrs even at a leisurely pace and after rerouting to correct erroneous directions by our Garmmi RV unit ( Garmmi sent us back a dirt road that was more of a Jeep/ATV trail.) We dropped the Jeep and used it to scout out ahead, turned the RV around and went in a much simpler route suggested by the GPS on our iPhone!  Ten minutes later we checked in to site 80 just below the Superstition Mountains. While we were there, they had to rescue two hikers trapped on a ledge overnight!

our view for the week

site 80 - Superstition Mountains in background

We setup camp, hooked up Cooper and CJ and headed out to acquaint ourselves and them to our home for the  coming week. So much to see (and smell). numerous types of cacti, birds, rugged mountains in every direction and ... the whimsical toot -toot of the steam engine at the nearby tourist attraction - Ghost Town.

Once again it was time to do all the necessary things, like laundry, etc. So...our first full day was consumed by visiting the laundry, going to the hardware store, a bit of shopping and hiking several trails within LDSP. The park trail next to the Ranger station, has quite a large population of Gambel's Quail (like the ones in a Warner Brothers cartoon). They are quite talkative and scurry about if they can avoid flying.

After chatting with one of the Rangers, we took the entire next day to drive up the Apache Trail (Arizona 88) to Roosevelt Lake. What a fabulous drive. LDSP is on Rt 88, so a right turn out of the drive from the Park, and we were on our way. We really didn't know what to expect, although it did mention "unpaved/rough road" at first, as we entered Coronado National Forest, is was choppy asphalt, a bit bouncy, but not too bad. Then the road started to climb as we worked our way North. The directions said 1.5 hrs but only 40 miles...hmmmmm. They were right. Eventually, the signs that kept saying pavement ends meant it and we were on dirt road, at times quite rough, for over 20 miles. This was 15 mph stuff and there were several very long descents and accents to be navigated. But...oh so worth it!

the scenery just got more impressive as we drove along

still paved here, but not for long

road seen in lower right

Cindy at overlook. Our road will be the tan band in lower background!

before the brief rain, this Ocotillo looked like dead kindling

Apache Trail now dirt, steep and narrow - great drive!

the views were numerous

at bottom of gorge - here are Sycamores, Oaks and other larger trees

Along the way, there are several nice lake side recreation areas created by the damming of the river, and at the end, Roosevelt Dam and Roosevelt Lake of 25 miles in length.

Roosevelt Dam at end of Apache Trail

view from cliff dwelling at Tonto N M - Roosevelt Lake in distance

This is a  beautiful, can't take too many pictures drive. As wonderful as it was, we were opting to drive home by all paved roads, same amount of time, twice as many miles. This proved to be a wise move. Shortly after leaving Roosevelt Dam and heading East, we saw one of the brown National Park signs - Tonto National Monument - Cliff Dwellings! 5 minutes later we were pulling into the parking lot and with the use of our Golden Years national Park Pass, taking Cooper and CJ up the half mile trail 350 foot climb to the cliff dwelling.

wooden beams original - 1000 years old

cliff dwelling at Tonto NM - several rooms

smoke on walls from fires, 

The next day was our venture into the more civilized area of Scottsdale. This is an art and culture center and quite popular for Snowbirds and golfers!. Many art galleries and shoppes are to be found here along with a relatively new museum -  The Western Spirit . This place, opened only a few years ago is like a scaled down Smithsonian! Displays range from an extensive collection of Western Movie Posters (John Wayne -Stagecoach, Clint Eastwood, Tom Mix, etc) to artwork by Native Americans, bronze works by nationally know sculptors, artifacts, weapons, spurs, saddles and yes, chaps! The oldest known surviving pair of native moccasins can be seen on the second floor.

City owned and operated, plenty of parking available!

great display of original movie posters - Western themed of course!

dozens of bronze works, original oils and  sketches!

Great collection superbly displayed!

There was an excellent introductory film shown, and if you so desire, there are docents available to  take you through the museum. Here there is something for everyone who likes the West! The gift shop was excellent as well. If you are in the area and have 2-3 hours to spare, we highly recommend stopping by for a visit. Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Café Forte - they even make their own individual apple pies daily!

The rest of our time in the area was spent doing small day hikes and enjoying the 70 degree days sitting outside and taking in the views.

we enjoyed several of these

we are getting ready to head North for a while and will be reporting in when possible!

take care

Cooper and CJ