After coffee and breakfast in the morning, we will break camp and begin to stretch our legs on the rocky Red Tanks Trail. Now deep in a remote region of the SuperstitionWilderness Area, we’re likely to see some wildlife on our 6-mile trek today;black-tailed jackrabbits, whiptail lizards, red-tailed hawk, and many others call this place home. We will do lunch on the trail to fuel us for a steep climb to a stunning vista where we can take in the whimsical desert terrain around us. Surprisingly lush, the Sonoran Desert has more species of plants and animals than any other desert in the world, including many plants used by native Americans as food and medicinal sources as they traveled this same route. After dinner, you will learn of the fate of the Lost Dutchman’s gold mine as the conclusion of this mysterious tale is told.  We enjoy our final night of solitude while listening to the great-horned owl announce sunset and lay our heads to rest under the waxing moon and shimmering stars.

Having settled into a backcountry pace dictated by nature’s rhythm, we enjoy breakfast before donning our packs for our final day on the trail. Today’s 9-mile route completes our loop via the Whiskey Springs Trail. From here we can see Weaver’s Needle, a monumental rock spire leftover from when this region was just a massive chain of volcanoes and cinder cones. By late morning, we drop back onto the Dutchman Trail and retrace our first day’s steps to find the trail’s end at the Peralta Trailhead. We will have a celebratory lunch at a local Mexican restaurant before returning to your hotel. Although we have left the wilderness behind, we take with us the invigorated feeling of accomplishment and lifetime memories of our adventure together.

hotel pick-up