Home
03.29
Welcome to Friends of Lost Dutchman State Park!
Lost Dutchman State Park
We are a non-profit organization devoted to the benefit of Lost Dutchman State Park. Currently, the Lost Dutchman is in danger of being shut down in the nearing summer months due to Arizona’s budget crisis. With your help and the help of the Friends of Lost Dutchman State Park, we hope to change that.
For up-to-date information on the legislature and the various state parks. please visit The Arizona State Parks Foundation website.
About the Park
Named after the fabled lost gold mine, Lost Dutchman State Park is located in the Sonoran Desert, 40 miles east of Phoenix. Several trails lead from the park into the Superstition Wilderness and surrounding Tonto National Forest. Take a stroll along the Native Plant Trail or hike the challenging Siphon Draw Trail to the top of the Flatiron. Depending on the year’s rainfall, you might be treated to a carpet of desert wildflowers in the spring. Enjoy a weekend of camping and experience native wildlife including coyote, javelina and jackrabbit.
Before you hike, be prepared with enough water and proper footwear as the trails are steep and challenging.
Mystery and Legend
The Superstition Mountains have been a source of mystery and legend since early times. The area is dotted with ancient cliff dwellings and caves, many showing signs of former habitation by a number of different Native American groups, up until the 1800s. Even the name is inspired by Pima Indian legends.
During the 1840s, the Peralta family of northern Mexico supposedly developed a rich gold mine in the Superstitions. According to legend, an Apache ambush ended the family’s last expedition, and the gold remained in the area. In the 1870s, Jacob Waltz (“the Dutchman”) was said to have located the mine through the aid of the Peralta descendant. Waltz and his partner, Jacob Weiser, worked in the mine and allegedly hid one or more caches of gold in the Superstitions. Most stories place the gold in the vicinity of Weaver’s Needle.
After Waltz’s death in 1891, several people attempted to seek out the Lost Dutchman’s Mine, all without luck. Later searchers have sometimes met with foul play or even death, contributing to the superstition and legend of these mountains.
The legend of the “lost mine” has been fueled by a number of people who were supposed to have known the mine’s location or even worked it. Maps have surfaced over the years, only to become lost or misplaced.
Mission Statement
“Friends of Lost Dutchman State Park stand as a partner to assist Lost Dutchman State Park in fulfilling its mission through advocacy, education, community participation, and financial support.”