Peralta Trail, Superstition Mountains
From Astertiki, your guide to being outside
Peralta Trail is a popular trail in the Superstition Mountains. It is a popular, busy trail which is crowded with hikers and frequent horseback riders. The trailhead is a use-fee area - parking cost $4.00. There is limited parking at the trailhead so you may have to park near the pay-station, about a half mile below the trailhead.
Summary
| Distance: | 1.9 miles one way to Fremont Saddle |
| Difficulty: | Easy to Moderate - 1350 foot elevation gain |
| Hike Time: | 3-4 hours |
| Elevation: | 2413 to 3769 feet |
| Season: | Year Round - but unbearably hot in the summer |
| USGS Maps: | Weavers Needle |
| Directions from Apache Junction, Phoenix | Drive South for 8.5 miles from Apache Junction on US 89/60 to the well marked turn off. Turn left and drive 7.5 miles to the end of the gravel road. The road is now paved in the area of the new development but quickly turns into a good gravel road for most of the way. |
Details
The trail is well marked and easy to follow. At the trail head there are two trails. The trial to the right is the Dutchman's Trail which goes East. The trail for the hike to Fremont Saddle is on the left - starting out North West. There is very limited shade along the way and the switchbacks near the top are steep going. Bring plenty of water, the spring that flows through Peralta Canyon is described as "occasional".
But the trip is worth the effort as the view from the top of Fremont Saddle is memorable - Weavers needle is the dominate feature to the north of the Saddle, rising 1420 feet above Boulder Canyon which situated to the peak's South-West. Weaver's needle is frequently characterized as the remnant magma plug of an ancient volcano but that may not be correct. According to Tom Kollenborn, the needle contains several alternating layers of ash and basalt which are not possible in a magma plug. Basalt and ash are igneous rock that result from atmospheric cooling and not from the cooling of magma in a volcanic conduit. Therefore the needle is an erosional remnant that was once a part of a plateau formed millions of years ago but which has eroded away, leaving the magnificent spire behind for a spectacular view.
History
Weaver's Needle is a dominate feature in the Superstitions, and it plays a dominate role in the folklore of the region. According to legend, a Don Miguel Peralta discovered a mother-lode of Gold in the Superstitions in the mid 1850s. Tens of years later, a man by the name of Jacob Walters claimed to have "rediscovered" the Peralta mine. Walters, a German immigrant known locally as "the Dutchman", never disclosed the location of the mine but the folklore has it that his mine lies within the shadow of the Weaver's needle. Walters took the secret of the location of the mine to his grave in 1891 and since then "The Lost Dutchman's Mine" has eluded discovery.
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