Visiting the Flatiron

Early morning approach to Superstition Mountain

A few weeks back we decided to visit an old favorite…Superstition Mountain, also known as the FlatIron!  We got an early morning start, which allowed me to get up most of the way in the shade.  The flat to rolling approach in the shadow of the mountain was a little chilly…but once you get up close, the trail takes off at a pretty steep grade and the climb warmed me right up.

While the hike is quite challenging once it starts climbing, sometimes requiring scrambling…and occasional route finding, the scenery is really quite spectacular and rewarding even if you don’t make it all the way up.  The superstitions are one of my favorite low-desert hiking areas – and the western section of the wilderness area are especially beautiful with its steep cliffs, escarpments and hoodoos.

If you’re thinking of visiting the superstition wilderness, and specifically this hike, make sure your knees and quads can happily handle the elevation…or you might find yourself walking a little funny the next day 😉  I definitely recommend getting an earlier start rather than a later one – I find the walking and climbing much more pleasant in the shade…and this hike is really quite popular – getting an early start means having the trail more to yourself to enjoy the desert and solitude!

If you’ve never done this hike, you can find out more details over here.