We’ve already mentioned a haunted playground and the most hair-raising hike in Arizona, but what about a state park? Most long-time Arizonans know the legend of the gold mine allegedly hidden deep within the Superstition Mountains, but few are aware of just how many hikers have perished looking for it. Oftentimes, the circumstances surrounding their death are suspicious, only adding to the mysteriousness associated with the park.
Just 40 miles east of Phoenix, Lost Dutchman State Park is a mysterious destination in the vast expanse of the Sonoran Desert.
TripAdvisor/Management Nestled at the base of the Superstition Mountains, the park is the subject of an age-old buried treasure fable with a promise that attracts hopefuls from all over the world.
In order to understand the Lost Dutchman legend, you must first become acquainted with the park’s history.
TripAdvisor/demicent The Superstitions were an Apache stronghold in the 1800s—until the Peralta family of northern Mexico allegedly built lucrative gold mines deep within the mountains, that is.
As the story goes, the Peraltas set off on a trip in 1848 to bring riches back to their home country.
TripAdvisor/WIBYRIC They were ambushed by Apaches on the way, and nearly everyone was killed.
The facts get muddier after the attack, with several different versions of the legend running the gamut of possibilities.
TripAdvisor/WIBYRIC A common theme across many of the stories is the belief that only a select few people know the location of the mine. Maps that supposedly lead to it can be found all over the Internet and in various books, however, their accuracy is questionable.
Jacob Waltz, better known as “The Dutchman,” claimed to have discovered the mine in the 1870s.
TripAdvisor/WIBYRIC He and his partner, Jacob Weiser, supposedly hid gold from the mine in the mountains (near Weaver’s Needle in most of the stories).
Apparently, Waltz described the mine’s location to a neighbor before succumbing to health conditions in 1891.
TripAdvisor/Mike M. Despite fervent searching, neither she nor anyone else was able to locate it and live to tell the tale.
Over the years, many people have visited the park for the sole purpose of locating the mine.
TripAdvisor/Mac S. Their efforts have proven not only unsuccessful, but even deadly at times—several hikers have perished on their quest to find the elusive treasure.
Visit the park’s website or Facebook page to learn more.
TripAdvisor/Management
Nestled at the base of the Superstition Mountains, the park is the subject of an age-old buried treasure fable with a promise that attracts hopefuls from all over the world.
TripAdvisor/demicent
The Superstitions were an Apache stronghold in the 1800s—until the Peralta family of northern Mexico allegedly built lucrative gold mines deep within the mountains, that is.
TripAdvisor/WIBYRIC
They were ambushed by Apaches on the way, and nearly everyone was killed.
A common theme across many of the stories is the belief that only a select few people know the location of the mine. Maps that supposedly lead to it can be found all over the Internet and in various books, however, their accuracy is questionable.
He and his partner, Jacob Weiser, supposedly hid gold from the mine in the mountains (near Weaver’s Needle in most of the stories).
TripAdvisor/Mike M.
Despite fervent searching, neither she nor anyone else was able to locate it and live to tell the tale.
TripAdvisor/Mac S.
Their efforts have proven not only unsuccessful, but even deadly at times—several hikers have perished on their quest to find the elusive treasure.
Have you ever been to Lost Dutchman State Park? If so, did you experience anything out of the ordinary? Let us know in the comments!
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Address: Lost Dutchman State Park, 6109 N Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ 85119, USA
