Lost Dutchman State Park, State park in Pinal County, Arizona, US.
Lost Dutchman State Park is a state reserve at the base of the Superstition Mountains in Pinal County, Arizona, covering 130 hectares of desert landscape. Granite peaks rise to 900 meters (3,000 feet), and saguaro cacti, paloverde trees and creosote bushes grow among the rocks.
This reserve was established in 1977 and takes its name from Jacob Waltz, a 19th-century gold prospector of German origin. His alleged mine sparked dozens of expeditions that continue searching the mountains for the lost gold to this day.
The park's name comes from the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine, a legendary lost mine of Old West tales. The park is a trailhead for routes into the Superstition Wilderness, including Jacob's Crosscut and Siphon Draw. Many visitors mistake these National Forest trails for park-maintained ones. Hikers still come searching for the mine; in 2013 remains found under a cliff were identified as Jesse Capen, missing since 2009.
Six different hiking trails start in the reserve, from the short Treasure Loop to the demanding climb to Flatiron via Siphon Draw Trail. The best time to visit is between October and April, when temperatures are tolerable and wildflowers bloom.
The park's name comes from the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine, a legendary lost mine of the Old West. In 2013, skeletal remains found under a cliff in the park were identified as Jesse Capen, an adventurer last heard from in 2009 who is presumed to have died accidentally while searching for that mine.
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